STTR Phase I: Next-Gen Radiofrequency Transistors on Silicon via Aligned, Residue-Free Carbon Nanotubes

STTR 第一阶段：采用对齐、无残留碳纳米管的硅基下一代射频晶体管

• 批准号: 2322200
• 负责人: Katherine Jinkins
• 金额: $ 27.45万
• 依托单位: SIXLINE SEMICONDUCTOR, INC.
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-09-01 至 2024-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2322200&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: STTR; Phase; Next; Gen; Radiofrequency

The broader/commercial impact of this Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project seeks to overcome the highest risks facing the commercialization of a novel semiconductor for wireless communications devices. As the demand for wireless communication increases (e.g., cell phones, WiFi, Internet of Things devices), wireless component suppliers and manufacturers must utilize new materials and integration methods to yield necessary increases in data bandwidth, energy efficiency, and functionality, while shrinking component footprint. Carbon nanotubes offer a solution to this problem. A carbon nanotube is comprised of an atomically thin layer of carbon rolled into a seamless tube. Carbon nanotubes act like tiny semiconducting wires that can significantly outperform current semiconductors such as silicon and gallium arsenide. When aligned into dense arrays, nanotubes offer superior wireless characteristics including high frequency and linearity, which are vital for next-gen communication technologies. Importantly, carbon nanotubes can be deposited onto existing semiconductors (such as silicon), enabling the previously unfeasible integration of multiple types of high-performance circuits on the same chip, allowing for more functionality in less space. By addressing problems related to wireless communication, this project will have widespread societal impact and underpin the wireless radiofrequency technologies of tomorrow, while bolstering American competitiveness in this important sector.The project will leverage recently developed carbon nanotube alignment technology that overcomes the materials and manufacturing challenges that have limited previous nanotube research and development. The room-temperature alignment technology is fast, cost-effective, and area-scalable – enabling seamless industry integration. The technical innovations of this project will be to: (1) develop approaches to remove organic processing residues that coat the surfaces and interfaces of nanotube arrays and decrease the performance of nanotube-based wireless communications transistors; and (2) fabricate and demonstrate wireless communications transistors based on aligned nanotubes that do not suffer from the effects of such impurities. Spectroscopic measurements of residues, electrical measurements sensitive to impurities, and additional high frequency transistor characterization will be used in a feedback loop to inform residue removal process development. Specific activities will focus on: (1) systematically studying the effect of different treatments to selectively remove residues; (2) determining how the treatments depend on array density; and (3) fabricating and testing wireless communications transistors. The project will provide a database of impurity removal rates for a library of treatments, a demonstration of transistors free of performance loss from residues; and a demonstration of nanotube-based transistors integrated on silicon.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

小企业技术转让（STTR）第一阶段项目的更广泛/商业影响旨在克服无线通信设备新型半导体商业化所面临的最高风险。随着对无线通信的需求的增加（例如，移动电话、WiFi、物联网设备）、无线组件供应商和制造商必须利用新的材料和集成方法来产生数据带宽、能源效率和功能的必要增加，同时缩小组件占用空间。碳纳米管为这个问题提供了一个解决方案。碳纳米管是由原子级薄的碳层卷成无缝管。碳纳米管的作用就像微小的半导体线，可以大大超过目前的半导体，如硅和砷化镓。当排列成密集阵列时，纳米管提供上级无线特性，包括高频和线性，这对下一代通信技术至关重要。重要的是，碳纳米管可以沉积在现有的半导体（如硅）上，使以前不可行的多种类型的高性能电路集成在同一芯片上，允许在更小的空间内实现更多的功能。通过解决与无线通信相关的问题，该项目将产生广泛的社会影响，并为未来的无线射频技术奠定基础，同时增强美国在这一重要领域的竞争力。该项目将利用最近开发的碳纳米管对齐技术，克服限制以前纳米管研究和开发的材料和制造挑战。室温对准技术速度快、成本效益高、面积可扩展，可实现无缝行业集成。该项目的技术创新将是：（1）开发去除覆盖纳米管阵列表面和界面并降低基于纳米管的无线通信晶体管性能的有机加工残留物的方法;（2）制造和演示基于不受此类杂质影响的对齐纳米管的无线通信晶体管。残留物的光谱测量、对杂质敏感的电气测量和额外的高频晶体管表征将用于反馈回路，以告知残留物去除工艺开发。具体活动将侧重于：（1）系统研究不同处理方法对选择性去除残留物的影响;（2）确定处理方法如何取决于阵列密度;（3）制造和测试无线通信晶体管。该项目将提供一个数据库的杂质去除率的治疗，晶体管的示范，从残留物的性能损失免费的演示;和纳米管为基础的晶体管集成在硅上的演示。这个奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并已被认为是值得的支持，通过评估使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准。