SBIR Phase II: Photon-Assisted Hydrogenation Process Technology for Manufacturability and Improved Operability of HgCdTe Infrared Detectors

这个第二阶段的小型企业创新研究项目将提供一种创新的氢钝化技术，以提高HgCdTe红外探测器的可制造性和性能。光子辅助加氢(PAH)通过同时暴露在氢气和紫外线(UV)下使基片氢化，从而使氢扩散到基片中并成为基片的永久部分。在第一阶段中，论证了PAH用于在大面积硅片上制备高性能近红外HgCdTe雪崩光电二极管阵列的可行性。在第二阶段，PAH将针对各种来源的HgCdTe红外传感器的制造进行优化。PAH工艺不仅将创建高性能HgCdTe/Si基APD的新产品线，还可能提供一种显著提高产量的手段，从而为所有HgCdTe基探测器制造商降低成本。PAH技术将使所有HgCdTe红外设备制造商都能在硅晶片上成长，大大降低这些高价值系统的成本，并使它们更广泛地用于目前负担不起的广泛应用，包括民用交通、航空、医疗和机器人视觉系统。该技术的衍生技术可应用于制造需要钝化以减少缺陷的各种其他光电半导体器件。

This Phase II Small Business Innovation Research project will deliver an innovative hydrogen passivation technique for improving manufacturability and performance of HgCdTe infrared detectors. Photon-Assisted Hydrogenation (PAH) causes the substrate to be hydrogenated by simultaneous exposure to hydrogen gas and ultra-violet (UV) light which allows hydrogen to diffuse into and become a permanent part of the substrate. In Phase I the feasibility of PAH for the fabrication of high-performance near-infrared HgCdTe avalanche photodiode (APD) arrays on large-area silicon wafers was demonstrated. In Phase II PAH will be optimized for fabrication of HgCdTe infrared sensors from a variety of sources.The PAH process will not only create a new product line of high-performance HgCdTe/Si-based APDs, but may also provide a means to effect significantly higher yields, and thus lower costs for all manufacturers of HgCdTe-based detectors. PAH technology will enable all HgCdTe infrared device manufacturers to grow on Silicon wafers, significantly reducing the cost of these high value systems, and making them more generally available for a broad range of currently unaffordable applications, including civil transport, aviation, medical and robotic vision systems. Derivatives of the this technique may be applied to the manufacture of a variety of other optoelectronic semiconductor devices requiring passivation to mitigate defects.