MRI: Acquisition of a Nanofabrication and Materials Research Etching System

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AbstractNontechnical abstractThe primary problem to be studied with the advanced material etching system is the nanofabrication of optical and electronic devices from state-of-the-art materials such as semiconductors, which are key to the information technology revolution that we presently enjoy. Etching is generally described as the removal of a material to make a pattern and was first practiced by applying acidic solutions to metals centuries ago. The advanced etching system to be used in these studies is capable of using gases to dry etch a wide variety of materials of technological importance, including silicon, other semiconductors, metals, glass, and plastic. The information technology revolution has been fueled by the ability to make smaller and smaller structures in such materials, thereby increasing the density of computing power in a given area. This research is critical for continuing to advance the state-of-the-art in nanofabrication so that the benefits of information technology can continue to grow and proliferate, by enabling advances in photonics, electronics, Nano-printing, materials science, and materials physics among other areas. The advanced material etching system will provide for a holistic teaching approach, consisting of the key steps of design, patterning (by etching), and testing, which will prepare students for jobs in the semiconductor, communications and aerospace industries, to name a few. By having the entire process flow available, students will be able to master the individual steps and tailor their use of all tools to their own research projects. A standardized training program for students will be developed and the research-training goal is for students from all disciplines is to carry through a nanofabrication task that uses the advance material etching system in conjunction with other tools in the University of Arizona's Optical Sciences nanofabrication facility. Technical abstractThe primary motivation for this work is to complement an ultra-high resolution 100 kilovolt electron beam lithography system and high speed maskless lithography system with a state-of-the-art inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching system, to thereby establish a regional hub for nanofabrication and nanosciences. The system has capabilities, such as cryoetching and multiple endpoint control techniques that are not available anywhere else in Arizona and the surrounding region. The system will enable research on all aspects of nanophotonic device and materials development, ranging from fundamental materials processing, to nanophotonic modulators, to establishing manufacturable procedures for photonic circuit interconnection; ongoing efforts in microelectromechanical devices such as microfabricated ion traps and diffractive optical elements; and advanced optical masks for exoplanet exploration. Semiconductor processing will be enhanced by the availability of spectroscopic capabilities that can enable atomic layer etching, while fundamental device research in two-dimensional materials such as graphene will also benefit; the system will further provide cryogenic etching for high aspect ratio nanostructures, crucial for organic electronics; the fabrication of metal-insulator-semiconductor capacitors and sensors; microelectronics development for Internet-of-Things devices, as well as novel Josephson junctions and microwave resonators. A standardized research training program will be established for students that will be based around the fabrication of optical ring resonator filters in silicon or silicon nitride; ring resonators are very common devices in silicon photonics. An introduction to the optical background needed to understand the functioning of such a device will be provided, with the critical hands-on part of the work consisting of defining the structure through e-beam lithography, etching the structures with the advanced etching instrument, and testing the fabricated devices in established testbeds.