Oxidation of Aluminum-free Compound Semiconductors for Electronic and Optoelectronic Devices

ECCS-0925919电子和光电器件用无铝化合物半导体的氧化由于社会对节能信息技术设备和节能环保制造工艺的需求变得非常敏感，重要的通信技术部门也没有受到影响。 无线手机和光通信制造商正在寻找采用更环保的制造实践的方法，同时继续提高其系统的性能和成本。 所有这些通信技术的基础是电子和光电器件以及制造它们的化合物半导体材料。本研究的目标是通过利用新发现的氧增强湿热氧化工艺在制造许多这些设备的GaAs和InGaAs上生长高质量绝缘氧化物层，为无线和光通信系统开发改进和更高性能的组件。这项工作的智力价值在于进一步探索和应用这些氧化物的真实的世界的设备。 将研究这种氧化物的最佳生长条件，重点是提高可再现的均匀性和降低界面缺陷密度。 GaAs氧化物将被探索用作GaAs集成电路的场氧化物，以改善电流隔离方法中各个器件之间的电流隔离。 InGaAs原生氧化物将应用于InGaAs p-i-n光电二极管，这在光纤通信系统中无处不在，并研究其减少表面态和相关暗电流的潜力，这两者都会显着降低器件性能。 这项研究具有潜在的变革性，因为它有望实现非常有用的新型绝缘和钝化介电材料，这些材料能够影响各种电子和光电器件，同时又非常简单，对环境的影响非常低，与绿色制造运动兼容。 这项工作的更广泛的影响将在无线和光纤通信系统的技术性能的预期改进中发现，这些改进将显著降低组件制造和/或最终集成系统成本。无线手机中使用的GaAs集成电路的改进可以通过减少晶体管器件之间的漏电流来降低功耗，从而实现更长的电池寿命。 光电二极管灵敏度的提高将使成本更低的光纤通信系统能够在服务不足的地区增加宽带光通信的采用。将光纤引入家庭、学校和医疗机构将加速带宽密集型应用的开发和采用，如数字视频、视频会议和跨多个平台（从计算机和电视到无线基站再到移动的手机）的互联网通信。 次要影响包括通过进一步开发III-V族化合物半导体氧化技术推进发现和理解，以及其他可能的应用，如改进的光伏器件。

Award abstract for proposal ECCS-0925919Oxidation of Aluminum-free Compound Semiconductors for Electronic and Optoelectronic DevicesAs society has become very sensitive to the need for both energy-efficient information technology devices and energy-efficient and environmentally aware manufacturing processes the important communications technology sector is not unaffected. Wireless handset and optical communications manufacturers look for ways to adopt greener manufacturing practices while also continuing to improve the performance and cost of their systems. Fundamental to all of these communications technologies are the electronic and optoelectronic devices and the compound semiconductor materials from which they are made. The goal of this research is to develop improved and higher performance components for both wireless and optical communication systems by utilizing a newly discovered oxygen-enhanced wet thermal oxidation process for growing high quality insulating oxide layers on the GaAs and InGaAs from which many of these devices are made. The Intellectual Merit of this effort lies in the further exploration and application of these oxides to real world devices. The optimum conditions or growth of such oxides will be investigated, with a focus on improving reproducible uniformity and reducing interface defect density. GaAs oxides will be explored for use as a field oxide for GaAs integrated circuits to improve current isolation between individual devices over current isolation methods. InGaAs native oxides will be applied to InGaAs p-i-n photodiodes, which are ubiquitous in optical fiber communication systems, and studied for their potential to reduce surface states and associated dark current, both of which significantly reduce device performance. The research is potentially transformative by nature of its promise for realizing powerfully useful new insulating and passivating dielectric materials capable of impacting a wide range of electronic and optoelectronic devices while at the same time being elegantly simple and, with very low environmental impact, compatible with the green manufacturing movement. The Broader Impact of this work will be found in the expected improvements in the technical performance of both wireless and optical fiber communications systems, improvements that will come with significant reductions in component manufacturing and/or final integrated system cost. Improvements in GaAs integrated circuits used in wireless handsets may reduce power consumption by reducing leakage currents between transistor devices, enabling longer battery life. Improvements in the sensitivity of photodiodes will enable lower cost fiber communication systems to increase the adoption of broadband optical communications in underserved areas. Bringing fiber closer to the home, schools and medical offices will accelerate the development and adoption of bandwidth-intensive applications such as digital video, video conferencing, and internet communications across multiple platforms (from computers and televisions to wireless base stations to mobile handsets). Secondary impacts include advancing discovery and understanding through the further development of III-V compound semiconductor oxidation technology, with other possible applications such as improved photovoltaic devices.