PFI: BIC- Advanced SiC high temperature integrated circuits

奥本大学的创新伙伴关系：建设创新能力项目将专注于建立硅基高温集成电路技术的基础。最终目标是演示一种主要的多型碳化硅（4H-SiC）金属氧化物半导体场效应晶体管（即4H-SiC MOSFET）的运算放大器，工作温度为250°C或更高。4H-SiC是一种具有高临界击穿场、高导热性、良好的体电子迁移率、高化学惰性和机械硬度的宽带隙半导体。这些特性使4H-SiC成为在恶劣环境和高于250°C的温度下运行的电子产品的极具吸引力的材料，在这些条件下，传统的硅基电子产品效率非常低。此外，SiC氧化为二氧化硅（绝缘体）的能力自然使mosfet成为可能。mosfet是电压控制的电子开关，比其他器件更受欢迎，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4H-SiC mosfet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。使用4H-SiC mosfet用于此目的的限制是导电通道中电子的低迁移率。这主要与氧化物-碳化硅界面上的高密度陷阱有关，这会导致载流子陷阱和通道迁移率降低。最近，Auburn小组展示了一种先进的界面钝化工艺，通过在氧化物- 4h - sic界面及其附近加入磷。与行业标准工艺相比，该工艺显著降低了陷阱密度，因此与最先进的工艺相比，至少提高了两倍的电子通道迁移率。更高的迁移率预计将导致显著优越的SiC操作放大器。该提案的智力价值在于将基础材料科学发现转移到先进应用中，同时考虑到未来的商业化问题。这项研究的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。一种高性能的4H-SiC集成电路技术具有打开各种新的应用领域和市场的潜力。一些值得注意的应用领域是地热、汽车和航空部门的传感和控制电路。这些技术将对美国的竞争力产生重大的积极影响。由于该项目的成功，小型企业合作伙伴的创新能力有所提高，这将为建立商业原型以渗透利基市场奠定基础，提高其业务可行性，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终端用户应用的业务创造新的可能性。该计划的一个重要方面与研究生的教育有关。参与该项目的学生将在其硕士或博士研究期间接触到从基础半导体材料科学到技术开发和应用的“半导体技术食物链”。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，该计划还将包括为高中学生和教师举办的讲习班。最后，与当地历史悠久的黑人大学塔斯基吉大学现有的密切互动将在该项目中得到巩固。项目开始时的合作伙伴是牵头机构：奥本大学；以及两家小型技术型企业：CoolCAD Electronics LLC（马里兰州College Park），负责低温、SiC和红外（IR）电子产品的分析、设计和原型设计；联合碳化硅公司（Monmouth Junction， NJ），专注于碳化硅技术的设计、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.