MRI: Acquisition of a Nanofabrication and Materials Research Etching System

摘要先进材料蚀刻系统需要研究的主要问题是利用半导体等最先进的材料进行光学和电子器件的纳米加工，这是我们目前所享受的信息技术革命的关键。蚀刻通常被描述为去除材料以制作图案，几个世纪前通过将酸性溶液应用于金属上首次实践。在这些研究中使用的先进蚀刻系统能够使用气体干燥蚀刻各种具有重要技术意义的材料，包括硅，其他半导体，金属，玻璃和塑料。在这种材料中制造越来越小的结构的能力推动了信息技术革命，从而增加了给定区域的计算能力密度。这项研究对于继续推进纳米制造的最新技术至关重要，通过推动光子学、电子学、纳米印刷、材料科学和材料物理学等领域的进步，信息技术的好处可以继续增长和扩散。先进的材料蚀刻系统将提供一个整体的教学方法，包括设计，图形（通过蚀刻）和测试的关键步骤，这将为学生在半导体，通信和航空航天工业等领域的工作做好准备。通过提供整个流程，学生将能够掌握各个步骤，并根据自己的研究项目量身定制所有工具的使用。将为学生制定一个标准化的培训计划，研究培训的目标是让所有学科的学生完成一项纳米制造任务，该任务使用先进的材料蚀刻系统与亚利桑那大学光学科学纳米制造设施的其他工具相结合。技术摘要：这项工作的主要动机是将超高分辨率100千伏电子束光刻系统和高速无掩膜光刻系统与最先进的电感耦合等离子体反应离子蚀刻系统相结合，从而建立纳米制造和纳米科学的区域中心。该系统具有冷冻和多端点控制技术等功能，这是亚利桑那州及周边地区其他地方所没有的。该系统将使纳米光子器件和材料开发的各个方面的研究成为可能，从基础材料加工到纳米光子调制器，再到建立光子电路互连的可制造程序；在微制造离子阱和衍射光学元件等微机电装置方面的持续努力；以及用于系外行星探测的先进光学掩模。半导体加工将通过光谱能力的可用性得到增强，可以实现原子层蚀刻，而二维材料（如石墨烯）的基本器件研究也将受益；该系统将进一步为高纵横比纳米结构提供低温蚀刻，这对有机电子学至关重要；金属-绝缘体-半导体电容器和传感器的制造；物联网设备的微电子开发，以及新型约瑟夫森结和微波谐振器。将为学生建立一个标准化的研究培训计划，该计划将基于硅或氮化硅光学环形谐振器滤波器的制造；环形谐振器是硅光子学中非常常见的器件。介绍了解这种装置功能所需的光学背景，以及关键的动手部分工作，包括通过电子束光刻定义结构，用先进的蚀刻仪器蚀刻结构，并在已建立的测试台上测试制造的装置。

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.