Nanovoids in semiconductors and defect dynamics: a path to the universal substrate

在量子计算和数据加密、人工智能、自学设备、系统和自动驾驶汽车等技术海啸的推动下，未来十年将出现一场定义社会变革的完美风暴，即所谓的“数字革命”。5G等新的数据传输技术和物联网等大规模分布式网络也将深刻改变我们的生活方式。每个国家都将努力定位自己，以确保强大的供应链，同时保持其独立性和安全性。这些技术中的许多（如果不是大多数的话）都依赖于半导体，并以硅为主要主体材料制造。市场需求和各国之间的全球竞争对该行业施加了巨大的压力，要求提供更高效、更移动、更节能的半导体设备。为了实现这一目标，这些设备中使用的不同材料必须集成到一块硅上，并在世界上最大的晶圆厂生产。虽然在硅上集成不同半导体的一些尝试已经取得了一定的成功，但一种强大的、具有成本效益的高性能技术仍有待开发。该提案将通过利用我的团队在过去6年中取得的一些重大突破，探索解决整合挑战的方法。我们已经开发出一种工艺，结合了对纳米多孔半导体（如Ge和Si）的高水平控制，以及将石墨烯集成到其结构中的能力，以创建一个新的2D/3D纳米复合材料家族，具有新的，令人兴奋的，最重要的是“可调谐”的特性。我的项目将探索使用这些纳米复合材料的途径，在不牺牲性能的情况下，为在Si平台上集成具有不同结构和性能的半导体创造解决方案。首先，我们将开发基于新型半导体的新型纳米复合材料，最终目标是利用InGaAs作为基础结构，创造出第一种具有可调谐晶体的纳米复合材料。这种具有可调谐晶体的材料将有助于器件的集成。然后，我将使用这个基础来演示特定设备的集成，并展示该技术的潜力。其他集成，如芯片上的能量存储和收集将通过使用纳米复合材料作为主要介质来演示。这个项目将使我能够：1)通过加强我们在材料家族不同方面的专业知识水平，扩大我的团队在石墨烯基纳米复合材料领域的领导地位和影响力；2)针对无缺陷异质外延和片上能源管理等高影响力的技术挑战。3)探索其他用途，如纳米复合材料作为“芯片实验室”应用的高灵敏度和紧凑的气体传感器。

The next decade will see a perfect storm of defining transformations of society through the so-called "digital revolution", driven by a tsunami of technologies, like quantum computing and data encryption, artificial intelligence, self-teaching devices, systems and autonomous vehicles. New data transport technologies like 5G and massively distributed networks like the Internet of Things will also profoundly change the way we live. Each nation will try to position itself to secure a strong supply chain, while preserving its independence and security. Many, if not most of these technologies relie on semiconductors, and are fabricated on silicon as the main host material. The market demands and global competition between nations, exerts massive pressure on the industry to provide semiconductor-based devices that are evermore efficient, mobile, energy efficient, etc. In order to achieve that, different materials used in these devices must be integrated onto a piece of Si and be produced in the great fabs of the world. While some attempts to integrate different semiconductors on Si have been somewhat successful, a robust, cost-effective and high performance technique remains to be developed. This proposal will explore ways to address the integration challenge, by leveraging some major breakthroughs that were achieved in the last 6 years in my group. We have developed processes that combine a high level of control over the creation of nano-porous semiconductors, like Ge and Si, with the ability to integrate graphene within their structure, to create a new family of 2D/3D nano-composites with new, exciting and most importantly « tunable » properties. My program will explore avenues using these nano-composites, to create solutions for the integration of semiconductors with different structures and properties on the Si platform, without sacrificing performance. First we will develop new nano-composites based on new semiconductors, with the ultimate goal to create the first nano-composite with a tunable crystal, by using InGaAs as the base structure. This material with a tunable crystal will be instrumental for the integration of devices. I will then use this base to demonstrate the integration of specific devices and show the potential of the technique. Other integrations, such as on-chip energy storage and harvesting will be demonstrated through the use of the nanocomposite as the main medium. This program will allow me to : 1)expand my team's leadership and impact in the field of graphene based nanocomposites, by strengthening our level of expertise on the different aspects of the material family and 2)to target the high impact technological challenge of defect-free heteroepitaxy and on-chip energy management. 3)explore other uses will be explored like the nanocomposite as a highly sensitive and compact gas sensor for "lab-on-chip" applications.