SBIR Phase I: Selective Area Hydrogenation for High Performance Monolithic HgCdTe NIR Avalanche Photo Diode Arrays

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第一阶段项目将开发一种新的钝化技术，该技术来源于最近的一项发现，即半导体可以通过同时暴露在氢气和紫外线下而容易氢化。与传统的辉光放电氢化相比，该技术具有许多优点，可以立即适用于需要选择性区域钝化的过程，并且不需要接触面罩。该公司与雷神视觉系统公司（RVS）合作，开发了在大面积硅片上制造高性能近红外(NIR)- HgCdTe雪崩光电二极管阵列（APD）的技术，由于HgCdTe和Si之间的大晶格不匹配而产生的螺纹位错，在此之前是不可行的。HgCdTe中的这些缺陷可以通过氢化钝化，但RVS生长集成二极管结构的过程需要在完全加工的二极管阵列上进行氢化，这为该技术的开发和演示提供了理想的应用。因此，第一阶段将提供技术的明确演示，实现低成本硅基HgCdTe APD的直接解决方案，并在第二阶段结束时明确确定推出客户以获得技术许可。在商业上，该公司开发的选择性区域缺陷钝化技术有可能从根本上改变近红外APD阵列的生产（和使用）方式，并使RVS能够在Si上实现单片HgCdTe APD。HgCdTe APD和APD阵列为高性能、安全的雷达传感器提供了独特的优势。这些包括：在室温下工作，低过量噪声，高增益，在人眼安全波长下的高量子效率，GHz带宽和高封装密度。在硅上生长的能力将大大降低这些系统的成本，并使它们更广泛地用于民用运输、航空和机器人视觉系统。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project will develop a newpassivation technique, derived from a recent discovery that semiconductors can bereadily hydrogenated by simultaneous exposure to hydrogen gas and ultra-violet light.The technique has a number of advantages over conventional glow dischargehydrogenation, is immediately applicable to processes requiring selective areapassivation, and does not require contact masks. The company has teamed with Raytheon Vision Systems (RVS) to develop the technique for fabrication of high performance near-infrared (NIR)- HgCdTe avalanche-photodiode arrays (APD) on large area silicon wafers, heretofore not feasible due to the threading dislocations that arise from the large lattice mismatch between HgCdTe and Si. Such defects in HgCdTe can be passivated by hydrogenation but the process through which RVS grows the integrated diode structures necessitates that hydrogenation be performed on fully processed diode arrays, presenting an ideal application for both the development and demonstration of this technology. Phase I therefore, will provide a definitive demonstration of the technology, an immediate solution to the realization of low cost HgCdTe APD's on Si, and a clearlyidentified roll-out customer at the end of Phase II to license the technology.Commercially, the selective area defect passivation technology developed herehas the potential to fundamentally change the way NIR APD arrays are produced (andused) and could enable RVS to realize monolithic HgCdTe APDs on Si.HgCdTe APDs and APD arrays offer unique advantages for high-performanceeyesafe LADAR sensors. These include: operation at room temperature, low-excessnoise, high gain, high-quantum efficiency at eyesafe wavelengths, GHz bandwidth, andhigh-packing density. The ability to grow on Si will significantly reduce the cost of thesesystems, and make them more generally available for civil transport, aviation, and roboticvision systems.