MRI: Acquisition of a Molecular Beam Epitaxy System for High-Performance Oxide Films

加州大学圣巴巴拉分校将获得一种新的分子束外延（MBE）系统，用于高性能氧化物薄膜的生长。UCSB的许多研究项目都需要绝缘或半导体氧化物薄膜的生长。其中包括用于微波器件的可调谐电介质，用于光电子学和传感的氧化薄膜，用于开发采用高迁移率半导体通道的CMOS器件的栅极电介质，以及用于减少栅极泄漏和高电荷密度的高电子迁移率晶体管的栅极电介质。这些应用要求沉积结构完美的氧化物薄膜，具有低杂质和点缺陷浓度，控制界面原子结构以及与底层有源器件层的兼容性。由MBE生长的氧化物薄膜将允许理解氧化物的基本物理和材料科学，目前远远落后于其他电子材料。实验测试和理论预测的实现需要高质量、纯净的材料和MBE提供的原子层控制。我们期待通过MBE合成的高纯度、结构完美的氧化膜将带来新的科学见解，从而产生新的设备应用。研究生和博士后研究人员是UCSB MBE的主要“实际”用户。拟议的MBE系统将作为一个共享设施运行，影响UCSB和合作学术机构在广泛的跨学科研究活动中对大量学生的教育和培训。我们将在UCSB建立化合物半导体MBE的强大文化，并将该工具放在同一个大型共享设施中。在材料部的研究生课程和每周MBE研讨会中提供MBE的正式培训，同时由两名开发工程师提供实践培训。氧化物MBE系统将大大扩大以前提供给学生和教师研究实习生的机会，以及针对代表性不足群体的教育项目。分子束外延是一种独特的技术，用于制造新的电子材料，使现代电子和光学器件（如晶体管和激光器）成为可能。这些装置的性能在很大程度上取决于材料的完美程度。在分子束外延中，几个原子厚度的层可以堆叠，具有不同电子特性的材料可以组合在一起。分子束外延允许这些层的前所未有的纯度-杂质水平可以低至十亿分之十。加州大学圣巴巴拉分校的新分子束外延系统将利用这些独特的能力来开发基于金属氧化物的新型电子薄膜材料。我们预计，通过分子束外延合成的高纯度、结构完美的氧化膜将带来新技术，例如具有更高操作速度的晶体管和使新型无线通信设备成为可能的电容器。氧化物分子束外延系统将大大有助于加州大学圣巴巴拉分校的学生的教育和培训，他们将是新系统的主要实际用户。氧化物MBE系统还将大大扩大以前提供给学生和科学教师实习生的机会，以及针对代表性不足群体的教育项目。

Technical AbstractThe University of California Santa Barbara will acquire a new molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) system for the growth of high-performance oxide thin films. Numerous research programs at UCSB require the growth of insulating or semiconducting oxide thin films. These include tunable dielectrics for microwave devices, oxide thin films for optoelectronics and sensing, gate dielectrics for the development of CMOS devices employing high-mobility semiconductor channels and for high-electron mobility transistors with reduced gate leakage and high charge densities. These applications require the deposition of structurally perfect oxide thin films with low impurity and point defect concentrations, control over interface atomic structures and compatibility with underlying active device layers. Oxide thin films grown by MBE will allow for the understanding of the basic physics and materials science of oxides that currently lags far behind that of other electronic materials. Experimental testing and realization of the theoretical predictions requires high-quality, pure materials and the atomic layer control afforded by MBE. We anticipate that the high-purity, structurally perfect oxide films synthesized by MBE will lead to new scientific insights that generate new device applications. Graduate students and post-doctoral researchers are the primary 'hands-on' users of MBE at UCSB. The proposed MBE system will be operated as a shared facility, impacting the education and training of a large number of students in a wide range of interdisciplinary research activities at UCSB and collaborating academic institutions - we will build on the strong culture for MBE of compound semiconductors at UCSB and house the tool in the same large shared facility. Formal training in MBE is offered in graduate courses and weekly MBE seminars in the Materials Department while hands-on-training is provided by two development engineers. The oxide MBE system will significantly extend the opportunities that have previously been offered to student and teacher research interns and education programs aimed at underrepresented groups.Lay AbstractMolecular beam epitaxy is unique among the techniques used for making new electronic materials that enable modern electronic and optical devices, such as transistors and lasers. The performance of these devices depends largely on the degree of materials perfection. In molecular beam epitaxy, layers that are a few atoms thick can be stacked and materials with different electronic properties can be combined. Molecular beam epitaxy allows for unprecedented purity of these layers - the impurity levels can be as low as a few ten parts per billion. The new molecular beam epitaxy system at the University of California Santa Barbara will be utilize these unique capabilities to develop new classes of electronic thin film materials, based on metal oxides. We anticipate that the high-purity, structurally perfect oxide films synthesized by molecular beam epitaxy will lead to new technologies, such as transistors with higher operating speeds and capacitors that enable new wireless communication devices. The oxide molecular beam epitaxy system will contribute greatly to the education and training of students at the University of California Santa Barbara, who will be the primary hands-on-users of the new system. The oxide MBE system will also significantly extend the opportunities that have previously been offered to student and science teacher interns and education programs aimed at underrepresented groups.