Si-Based Interband Tunneling Diodes for High-Speed Logic and Low Power Memory Applications

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ECS-9906260BergerA team is being built amongst the University of Delaware, the Naval Research Laboratory, Raytheon Systems Company, and Delaware State University, a historically black university, to perform joint research and student training in industry and government laboratories. This proposal seeks support for the development of Si-based tunnel diodes which meet two criteria:1. Peak-to-valley current ratios (PVCR) which exceed 4:1.2. Process compatibility with standard CMOS or HBT integrated circuit processing.Tunnel diodes which simultaneously meet these requirements will augment existing tran-sistor technologies by increasing bandwidth, lowering power consumption, and reducing the component count of standard circuits. It should be noted that while the prior work of this team has primarily dealt with resonant interband tunneling diodes (PJTD), this project will remain open to any Si-based tunneling device design which meets the above two require-ments. Achieving high PVCRs require tunnel diode designs which simultaneously maximize the tunnel current and minimize valley currents. As such, it is essential to develop a thor-ough knowledge base of the physics underlying tunneling phenomena. A low temperature study of the phonon structure will help to select an appropriate tunnel barrier. A simulta-neous study of the influence of gap states and deep levels will identify the media underlying excess current. The results of these experiments will serve to improve modelling software and will be essential to the engineering of high PVCR Si-based tunnel diodes. The role of Si1-x Gex tunnel barriers will be investigated as well.All members of the team will help in the design of structures and experiments to be performed as well as the interpretation of the data. In addition, the University of Delaware will be the primary partner responsible for device fabrication and testing. The Naval Research Laboratory will focus on the molecular beam epitaxial growth of the tunnel diodes, while Raytheon Systems keys on modeling, modeling software, some unique device fabrica-tion, and low temperature electrical measurements. Delaware State University will focus on low temperature photoluminescence using UDelaware facilities. A free flow of information between these parties as well as student visitation to each other's facilities (2 days to 1 week every 3 months) for technical discussions and experimentation is envisioned. Some testing services (deep level transient spectroscopy) will be outsourced.