Si-CMOS-Like Integration of AlGaN/GaN Dielectric-Gated High-Electron-Mobility Transistors

GaN is a promising material for power and radio-frequency electronics due to its high breakdown electric field, thermal conductivity, and electron saturation velocity. Additionally, strong spontaneous and piezoelectric polarization properties enable the engineering of high mobility, high carrier density channels at III-Nitride heterointerfaces. In order to seize market share from silicon, the cost of manufacturing GaN-based devices must be further reduced. With the successful realization of 200mm GaN-on-Si wafers, one promising path for cost-reduction is parallel utilization of existing 200mm Si CMOS infrastructure. Additionally, leveraging of CMOS processing techniques (such as high-κ/metal gate, Si3N4 spacers, and self-aligned S/D contacts) would further reduce development and manufacturing costs and would lower technology learning curves enabling GaN to seize a significant market share in emerging markets such as renewable energy, electric vehicles, Smart Grid, telecommunications, and space electronics. This work tackles the problems inhibiting the implementation of a Si-CMOS-like AlGaN/GaN metal-oxide-semiconductor high-electron-mobility transistor (MOSHEMT) technology. The primary roadblocks to a gate-first, CMOS-like flow are the lack of a viable self-aligned contact process and the lack of a robust gate dielectric capable of enduring the contact module. The reported research began with the development of a Si-compatible baseline transistor technology in a 200mm Si CMOS environment and an exploration of the impact of parallel integration of GaN and Si product. The ohmic alloy anneal was found to present the primary contamination hazard. Then, a self-aligned contact process was developed while simultaneously investigating dielectrics for low-leakage performance. Investigation of gate stacks indicated that ozone sourced ALD Al2O3 is most promising for minimization of interface trapping, while ALD BeO is best able to endure the ohmic anneal and enable low leakage performance. Finally, an initial self-aligned, gate-first MOSHEMT technology was implemented and challenges for future research were uncovered. Integration of the self-aligned contact module led to estimated cost savings of $170 (1$17 million per year

Fabrication and Characterization of AlGaN/GaN Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor High Electron Mobility Transistors for High Power Applications

AlGaN/GaN metal–insulator–semiconductor high electron mobility transistors (MIS-HEMTs) are promising candidates for next generation high-efficiency and high-voltage power applications. The excellent physical properties of GaN-based materials, featuring high critical electric field and large carrier saturation velocity, combined to the high carrier density and large mobility of the two-dimensional electron gas confined at the AlGaN/GaN interface, enable higher power density minimizing power losses and self-heating of the device. However, the advent of the GaN-based MIS-HEMT to the industrial production is still hindered by technological challenges that are being faced in parallel. Among them, one of the biggest challenge is represented by the insertion of a gate dielectric in MIS-HEMTs compared to Schottky-gate HEMTs, which causes operational instability due to the presence of high-density trap states located at the dielectric/III-nitride interface or within the dielectric. The development of a gold-free ohmic contact technology is another important concern since the high-volume and cost-effective production of GaN-based transistors also depends on the cooperative manufacturing of GaN-based devices in Si production facilities, where gold represents an undesidered source of contamination. In fact, even though over the past years there have been multiple attemps to develop gold-free ohmic contacts, there is still no full understanding of the contact formation and current transport mechanism. The first objective of this work was the investigation of a gold-free and low-resistive ohmic contact technology to AlGaN/GaN based on sputtered Ta/Al-based metal stacks annealed at low temperatures. A low contact resistance below 1 Ω mm was obtained using Ta/Al-based metal stacks annealed at temperatures below 600 °C. The ohmic behavior and the contact properties of contact resistance, optimum annealing temperature and thermal stability of Ta/Al-based contacts were studied. The nature of the current transport was also investigated indicating a contact mechanism governed by thermionic field emission tunneling through the AlGaN barrier. Finally, gold-free Ta/Al-based ohmic contacts were integrated in MIS-HEMTs fabricated on a 150 mm GaN-on- Si substrate, demonstrating to be a promising contact technology for AlGaN/GaN devices and revealing to be beneficial for devices operating at high temperatures. The optimization of the MIS-gate structure in terms of trap states at the dielectric/III-nitride interface and inside the dielectric in MIS-HEMTs using atomic layer deposited (ALD) Al2O3 as gate insulator was the second focus of this work. First, the MIS-gate structure was improved by an O2 plasma surface preconditioning applied before the Al2O3 deposition and by an N2 postmetallization anneal applied after gate metallization, which significantly reduced trap states at the Al2O3/GaN interface and within the dielectric. Afterwards, the effectiveness of these treatments was demonstrated in Al2O3-AlGaN/GaN MIS-HEMTs by pulsed current–voltage measurements revealing improved threshold voltage stability. Lastly, it was shown that also the lower annealing temperatures used for the formation of Ta/Al-based ohmic contacts, processed before gate dielectric deposition, are beneficial in terms of trap states at the ALD-Al2O3/GaN interface, representing a new aspect to be considered when using an ohmic first fabrication approach

Minority carrier lifetimes in germanium on silicon heterostructures

Photodiodes sensitive in the NIR and integratable with Si have been pursued for many applications including imaging, communications, and photovoltaics. Since the Si bandgap is inefficiently matched to NIR wavelengths, photodiodes fabricated from a smaller bandgap material are needed. 25 nm crystalline Ge on Si using HDP-CVD and various RTA temperatures were characterized and compared to directly deposited poly- Ge and epi-Ge. TEM showed that recrystallization using RTAs below the Ge melting point and liquid phase epitaxy using RTAs above the Ge melting point resulted in recrystallized poly-Ge with varying degrees of defects. Epi-Ge resulted in the highest level of coherent crystallinity. Inductively-coupled photoconductance measured effective lifetimes for all structures ranged from 2x103 - 2x104 cm/s. Thicker directly deposited epi-Ge samples indicated that recombination at the Ge-Si interface dominated the effective lifetime. Hydrogen passivation stability of Si and Ge surfaces in air were also characterized using electron-hole recombination lifetimes

Optimization of Ohmic Contacts and Surface Passivation for ‘Buffer-Free’ GaN HEMT Technologies

Gallium nitride high electron mobility transistors (GaN HEMTs) draw attention from high frequency and high power industries due to unique properties including high electron mobility and saturation velocity combined with high breakdown voltage. This makes GaN HEMTs suitable for power devices with high switching speed and high frequency applications with high power density requirements. However, the device performance is still partly limited by problems associated with the formation of low resistivity ohmic contact, trapping effects, and the confinement of the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG).\ua0\ua0\ua0 In this work, reproducible deeply recessed Ta-based ohmic contacts with a low contact resistance of 0.2 - 0.3 Ωmm, a low annealing temperature of 550 - 600 \ub0C, and a large process window were optimized. Low annealing temperature reduces the risk of 2DEG degradation and promotes better morphology of the ohmic contacts. Deeply recessed ohmic contacts beyond the barrier layers make the process less sensitive to the etching depth since the ohmic contacts are formed on the sidewall of the recess. The concept of deeply recessed low resistivity ohmic contacts is also successfully demonstrated on different epi-structures with different barrier designs.\ua0\ua0\ua0 Passivation with silicon nitride (SiN) is an effective method to suppress electron trapping effects. Low Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition (LPCVD) of SiN has shown to result in high quality dielectrics with excellent passivation effect. However, the surface traps are not fully removed after passivation due to dangling-bonds and native oxide layer at the interface of passivation and epi-structure. Therefore, a plasma-free in-situ NH3 pretreatment method before the deposition of the SiN passivation was studied. The samples with the pretreatment present a 38% lower surface-related current collapse and a 50% lower dynamic on-resistance than the samples without the pretreatment. The improved dynamic performance and lower dispersion directly yield a 30% higher output power of (3.4 vs. 2.6 W/mm) and a better power added efficiency (44% vs. 39%) at 3 GHz. Furthermore, it was found that a longer pretreatment duration improves the uniformity of device performance.\ua0\ua0\ua0 Traditionally, decreasing leakage currents in the buffer and improving electron confinement to the 2DEG are achieved by intentional acceptor-like dopants (iron and carbon) in the GaN buffer and back-barrier layer made by a ternary III-nitride material. However, electron trapping effects and thermal resistivity increase due to the dopants and the ternary material, respectively. In this thesis, a novel approach, where a unique epitaxial scheme permits a thickness reduction of the unintentional-doped (UID) GaN layer down to 250 nm, as compared to a normal thickness of 2 μm. In this way, the AlN nucleation layer effectively act as a back-barrier. The approached, named QuanFINE is investigated and benchmarked to a conventional epi-structure with a thick Fe-doped-GaN buffer. A 2DEG mobility of 2000 cm^2/V-s and the 2DEG concentration of 1.1∙10^13 cm^-2 on QuanFINE indicate that the 2DEG properties are not sacrificed with a thin UID-GaN layer. Thanks to the thin UID-GaN layer of QuanFINE, trapping effects are reduced. Comparable output power of 4.1 W/mm and a PAE of 40% at 3 GHz of both QuanFINE and conventional Fe-doped thick GaN buffer sample are measured

A Novel Process for GeSi Thin Film Synthesis

A unique process of fabricating a strained layer GexSi1-x on insulator is demonstrated. Such strained heterostructures are useful in the fabrication of high-mobility transistors. This technique incorporates well-established silicon processing technology e.g., ion implantation and thermal oxidation. A dilute GeSi layer is initially formed by implanting Ge+ into a silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate. Thermal oxidation segregates the Ge at the growing oxide interface to form a distinct GexSi1-x thin-film with a composition that can be tailored by controlling the oxidation parameters (e.g. temperature and oxidation ambient). In addition, the film thickness can be controlled by implantation fluence, which is important since the film forms pseudomorphically below 2×1016 Ge/cm2. Continued oxidation consumes the underlying Si leaving the strained GeSi film encapsulated by the two oxide layers, i.e. the top thermal oxide and the buried oxide. Removal of the thermal oxide by a dilute HF etch completes the process. Strain relaxation can be achieved by either of two methods. One involves vacancy injection by ion implantation to introduce sufficient open-volume within the film to compensate for the compressive strain. The other depends upon the formation of GeO2. If Ge is oxidized in the absence of Si, it evaporates as GeO(g) resulting in spontaneous relaxation within the strained film. Conditions under which this occurs have been discussed along with elaborated results of oxidation kinetics of Ge-ion implanted silicon. Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), ion channeling, Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were used as the characterization techniques

Highly-doped germanium nanowires: fabrication, characterization, and application

Germanium (Ge) is the most compatible semiconductor material with silicon-based complementary metal-oxide semiconductor technology, which has higher electron and hole mobility than Si, leading to enhanced device performance. In addition, semiconductor nanowires (NWs) have attracted significant attention as promising candidates for next-generation nanoscale devices. Due to their unique geometry and physical properties, NWs show excellent optical and electrical properties such as quantum size effects, enhanced light absorption, and high biological and chemical sensitivity. Furthermore, high response to light irradiation is one of the most significant properties of semiconductor NWs, which makes them excellent candidates for photodetectors. Hence, Ge NWs are promising high-mobility nanostructures for optoelectronic devices. Despite constant improvement in the performance of single NW-based devices, determining their electrical properties remains challenging. Here, a symmetric six-contact Hall bar configuration is developed for top-down fabricated highly doped Ge NWs with different widths down to 30 nm, which simultaneously facilitates Hall effect and four-probe resistance measurements. Furthermore, accurate control of doping and fabrication of metal contacts on n-type doped Ge NWs with low resistance and linear characteristics remain significant challenges in Ge-based devices. Therefore, a combined approach is reported to fabricate Ohmic contacts on n-type doped Ge NWs using ion implantation and rear-side flash lamp annealing. This approach allows the fabrication of axial p–n junctions along the single NWs with different widths. The fabricated devices demonstrated rectifying characteristics in dark conditions. The photoresponse of the axial p–n junction photodetectors was investigated under three different illumination wavelengths of 637 nm, 785 nm, and 1550 nm. Moreover, the fabricated axial p–n junction photodetector demonstrated a high-frequency response up to 1 MHz at zero bias

Interdiffusion de puits quantiques contrôlée par irradiation laser excimère pour l'intégration de composants photoniques

L'intégration de composants discrets sur un système unique, tel une puce électronique, augmente les performances totales du système, fait apparaitre de nouvelles fonctionnalités et diminue les coûts associés à la fabrication des dispositifs. Ces améliorations, appliquées au secteur de la microélectronique, sont grandement responsables des avancements importants qu'ont connus les technologies de l'information et des communications au cours des dernières années. Puisque la fabrication de circuits photoniques intégrés nécessite l'intégration de structures ayant des bandes interdites différentes à partir d'une même puce semiconductrice, leur niveau d'intégration est bien inférieur que celui atteint pour un microprocesseur standard. Parmi les techniques ayant le potentiel de fabriquer des circuits photoniques intégrés monolithiquement, l'interdiffusion de puits quantique post-expitaxial contrôlée spatialement augmente la bande interdite d'une hétérostructure semiconductrice à l'intérieur de régions définies. Le processus d'interdiffusion, activé thermiquement, est accéléré par la diffusion d'impuretés et de défauts ponctuels tels que les lacunes et les interstitiels. L'hypothèse de départ de mes travaux de doctorat suppose que la radiation laser ultra-violette module la diffusion et la génération de défauts ponctuels dans les hétérostructures reposant sur les technologies à base de GaAs et d'InP et, conséquemment, contrôle spatialement l'interdiffusion de puits quantiques. Nous avons démontré que lorsque appliquée sur des hétérostructures à base de GaAs, l'irradiation laser excimère l'interdiffusion en favorisant la croissance d'un stresseur de surface qui empêche la diffusion des défauts ponctuels vers les puits quantiques. Nous avons souligné l'influence de la vapeur d'eau physisorbée sur la croissance du stresseur et avons déterminé la résolution spatiale de la technique. Dans les hétérostructures basées sur les technologies InP, même sous le seuil d'ablation, l'absorption des impulsions laser UV favorise la désorption des atomes de surface ce qui génère des défauts ponctuels en concentration excédentaire. Lors d'un recuit thermique, ces défauts ponctuels augmentent la vitesse de l'interdiffusion sous les régions irradiées

Feature Papers in Electronic Materials Section

This book entitled "Feature Papers in Electronic Materials Section" is a collection of selected papers recently published on the journal Materials, focusing on the latest advances in electronic materials and devices in different fields (e.g., power- and high-frequency electronics, optoelectronic devices, detectors, etc.). In the first part of the book, many articles are dedicated to wide band gap semiconductors (e.g., SiC, GaN, Ga2O3, diamond), focusing on the current relevant materials and devices technology issues. The second part of the book is a miscellaneous of other electronics materials for various applications, including two-dimensional materials for optoelectronic and high-frequency devices. Finally, some recent advances in materials and flexible sensors for bioelectronics and medical applications are presented at the end of the book

Bi-annual report 2007/2008 // The Rossendorf Beamline at ESRF (ROBL-CRG)

[no abstract available

Advanced Quantum Electronic and Spin Systems: Artificial Graphene and Nitrogen-Vacancy Centers in Diamond

When nature is observed at the nanoscale, quantum physics is typically the most accurate model to describe and predict its behavior. Furthermore, quantum effects are increasingly at the core of the operation of new advanced electronic and photonic devices, which, in some cases, are designed on the basis of controlling quantum systems. This thesis focuses on two such systems, united by the methods used to realize them. These methods represent the cutting-edge of nanofabrication, which is the structuring of matter at ultra-small dimensions with a degree of precision and control that has not been previously attained. Pushing these methods to their limits enables the emergence of unique phenomena in the quantum systems explored here. The first system involves the realization of artificial graphene in an AlGaAs/GaAs quantum heterostructure. The appearance of massless charge carriers in graphene, which are described by the relativistic Dirac equation, originates from the linear energy-momentum dispersion of the electronic states in proximity to the K and K’ points of the hexagonal Brillouin zone. This unique quantum behavior is a direct result of the honeycomb symmetry of the graphene lattice. The prospect of reproducing this physics in an adjustable, artificial honeycomb lattice, known as artificial graphene, offers a platform for the exploration of novel quantum regimes of massless Dirac fermions beyond the limits imposed by the inability to manipulate the lattice of the natural material. The electronic properties of a two-dimensional electron gas whose density is modulated by a periodic potential with honeycomb symmetry have been predicted to generate massless Dirac-fermions with tunable Fermi velocity. This thesis reports the observation of a graphene-like band structure in a modulation-doped AlGaAs/GaAs quantum well engineered with a honeycomb lateral surface superlattice. This was accomplished by reactive ion etching of the surface to within a few tens of nanometers from the quantum well. A metal hard-mask, patterned by electron beam lithography combined with metal deposition and lift-off, was used to form a honeycomb artificial lattice with a variable lattice period, down to 40 nm. This is a three-fold reduction with respect to the smallest reported to date in pertinent literature. The BCl3-based shallow etching produces cylindrical pillars below which the two-dimensional electron gas is expected to form quantum dots, where the electron density is higher than in the surrounding etched regions. Low-temperature resonant inelastic light scattering measurements reveal new electronic transitions. An accurate interpretation of these can be found in the joint density of states derived from the calculated graphene-like linearly-dispersed energy bands, induced by the honeycomb potential modulation. The second system comprises the nanoscale engineering of individual electron spin qubits in diamond. Spin systems in solid-state have been intensively investigated as an outstanding pathway towards quantum information processing. One of the advantages of solid-state spintronics is the possibility of applying nanofabrication techniques commonly used by the semiconductor industry to produce and integrate spin qubits. The negatively charged nitrogen-vacancy (NV-) center in diamond stands out because of its optically addressable spin, which shows long coherence time and viable spin initiation, manipulation and read-out. A central challenge has been the positioning of NV- centers with nanometer scale control, that would allow for efficient and consistent dipolar coupling and the integration within an optoelectronic device. I demonstrate a method for chip-scale fabrication of arrays of closely-spaced NV- centers with record spatial localization of approximately 10 nm in all three dimensions and controllable inter-NV spacing as small as 40 nm. This is the highest spatial resolution realized to date in positioning NV- centers at the nanoscale with high throughput, and approaches the length scale of strong dipolar coupling. This method used masked implantation of nitrogen in an ultra-pure CVD-grown diamond substrate through nano-apertures in a thin gold film, patterned via electron-beam lithography and dry etching. The high-density and high-atomic weight of gold results in a mask which is significantly thinner than polymer films used in other works, whilst still successfully impeding ion penetration, with a mask contrast of more than 40 dB. This process allows for the creation of apertures with lower aspect ratio which are therefore easier to pattern in close proximity to one another, i.e., within the dipolar coupling range. The position and spin coherence properties of the resulting near-surface NVs were measured through wide-field super-resolution optically detected magnetic resonance imaging, Hahn echo and CPMG pulsed microwave spectroscopy. The patterning methodology demonstrated here is optimally suited to functional integration with plasmonic nanostructures, which can enhance our ability to control single-photon emission with the prospect of creating near-surface nanoscale sensors of electric or magnetic fields and quantum optoelectronic devices