PFI: BIC- Advanced SiC high temperature integrated circuits

这种创新伙伴关系：奥本大学的创新能力建设项目将重点关注硅基高温集成电路技术的基础建设。最终的目标是展示一个主要的多型碳化硅（4 H-SiC）金属氧化物半导体场效应晶体管（即4 H-SiC MOSFET）为基础的运算放大器，工作温度为250°C或更高。4 H-SiC是一种宽带隙半导体，具有高临界击穿场、高热导率、良好的体电子迁移率、高化学惰性和机械硬度。这些特性使4 H-SiC成为在恶劣环境和高于250°C的温度下工作的电子产品的极具吸引力的材料，在这种条件下，传统的硅基电子产品非常低效。此外，SiC氧化为二氧化硅（绝缘体）的能力自然也适用于MOSFET。MOSFET是压控电子开关，优于其他器件，因为它们为电路设计提供了很大的灵活性。在高温下工作的高效4 H-SiC MEMS集成电路（IC）技术将在各种工业和军事应用中产生积极的社会经济影响。为此目的采用4 H-SiC MOSFET的限制是导电沟道中电子的低迁移率。这主要与氧化物-SiC界面处的高密度陷阱相关，其导致载流子捕获和沟道迁移率降低。最近，奥本小组通过在氧化物-4 H-SiC界面处和附近掺入磷，展示了一种先进的界面钝化工艺。与工业标准工艺相比，该工艺导致显著降低的陷阱密度，并且相应地导致与现有技术相比至少高两倍的电子沟道迁移率。预期更高的迁移率将导致显著上级的SiC运算放大器。该项目的智力价值在于将基础材料科学发现转化为先进应用，同时考虑到未来的商业化问题。该研究的更广泛影响是提高美国的技术竞争力，提高小企业合作伙伴的商业可行性，并培养能够为半导体行业做出贡献的学生。高性能4 H-SiC IC技术有可能开辟各种新的应用领域和市场。一些值得注意的应用领域是地热、汽车和航空领域的传感和控制电路。这些技术将对美国的竞争力产生积极影响。该计划的成功提高了小企业合作伙伴的创新能力，这将为构建商业原型以渗透利基市场奠定基础，提高其业务生存能力，从而在新兴的碳化硅半导体行业中发挥未来的作用。这种技术的成功也将为其他面向最终用户应用的企业创造新的可能性。该计划的一个重要方面是与研究生的教育有关。参与该项目的学生将在硕士或博士研究期间接触到“半导体技术的食物链”，从基础半导体材料科学到技术开发和应用。与广泛的科学和工程问题相关的实践培训将为美国半导体行业培养训练有素的年轻科学家。此外，该计划将包括高中学生和教师的讲习班。最后，该项目还将巩固与当地一所历史悠久的黑人大学塔斯基吉大学（Tuskegee University）的密切合作关系。该项目的合作伙伴包括：奥本大学（Auburn University），以及两个小型技术型企业：CoolCAD Electronics LLC（马里兰州学院公园），该公司为低温、SiC和红外（IR）电子产品进行分析、设计和原型制作;以及United Silicon Carbide Inc.（蒙茅斯交界处，新泽西州），其专注于SiC技术的设计、制造和商业化。

This Partnerships for Innovation: Building Innovation Capacity project from Auburn University will be focused on building the basic foundations of a silicon-based high temperature integrated circuit technology. The final goal is to demonstrate a major polytype of silicon carbide (4H-SiC) metal-oxide semiconductor field-effect-transistor (that is, a 4H-SiC MOSFET)-based operational amplifier, operating at 250°C or higher. 4H-SiC is a wide-band gap semiconductor with a high critical breakdown field, high thermal conductivity, good bulk electron mobility, high chemical inertness, and mechanical hardness. These properties make 4H-SiC an extremely attractive material for electronics operating in harsh environments and at temperatures higher than 250°C, conditions under which conventional silicon-based electronics are very inefficient. In addition, the ability of SiC to oxidize to silicon dioxide, an insulator, naturally makes for MOSFETs. MOSFETs are voltage controlled electronic switches that are preferred over other devices as they offer a great deal of flexibility for circuit design. An efficient 4H-SiC MOSFET-based integrated circuit (IC) technology operating at high temperature will have a positive socio-economic impact in a variety of industrial and military applications. A limitation for employing 4H-SiC MOSFETs for this purpose is the low mobility of electrons in the conducting channel. This is primarily associated with a high density of traps at the oxide-SiC interface that results in carrier trapping and reduction of channel mobility. Recently, the Auburn group has demonstrated an advanced interface passivation process by incorporating phosphorus at and near the oxide-4H-SiC interface. This process results in a significantly reduced trap densities compared to the industry standard processes and accordingly results in at least a factor of two higher electron channel mobility compared to the state-of-the-art. The higher mobility is expected to result in significantly superior SiC operational-amplifiers. The intellectual merit of this proposal lies in the transfer of a fundamental materials science discovery to advanced applications taking future commercialization issues into consideration.The broader impacts of this research are increasing U.S. technological competitiveness, increasing the business viability of small business partners, and developing students capable of contributing to the semiconductor industry. A high performance 4H-SiC IC technology has the potential to open a variety of new applications areas and markets. Some notable application areas are sensing and control circuits for geothermal, automotive and aeronautical sectors. Such technologies will have significant positive impact on U.S. competitiveness. The increased innovation capacity of the small business partners resulting from the success of this program would set the stage for building commercial prototypes to penetrate niche markets, increasing their business viability, and thus a future role in the nascent silicon carbide semiconductor industry. The success of such a technology would also create new possibilities for other end-user application-oriented businesses. An important aspect of the program is related to the education of graduate students. Students involved in this project will be exposed to the "food chain of semiconductor technology", ranging from basic semiconductor materials science to technology development and applications during their master's or doctoral research. Hands-on training related to a wide range of scientific and engineering problems will result in the development of young, highly trained scientists for the U.S. semiconductor industry. Additionally, the program will include workshops for high school students and teachers. Finally, existing close interactions with Tuskegee University, a local historically black university will be consolidated in this program.Partners at the inception of the project are the lead institution: Auburn University; and two small technology-based businesses: CoolCAD Electronics LLC (College Park, MD), which performs analysis, design and prototyping for cryogenic, SiC and infrared (IR) electronics; and United Silicon Carbide Inc.(Monmouth Junction, NJ), which focuses on the design, fabrication, and commercialization of SiC technologies.