Nanoelectronic Material Characterization using Single Electron Transistors

技术描述：随着电子产品向纳米尺度的缩小，仅仅几个错位的掺杂剂就会导致电子设备性能的显著变化。因此，准确绘制空位、缺陷、掺杂原子和界面结构的能力的发展，对于未来几代电子器件的发展变得迫切。为了实现这些目标，本项目开发了详细调查电子相关材料中带电缺陷的方法。该方法是将新型电子材料与单电子晶体管结构相结合，从而通过评估单电子晶体管的特性直接检测材料中的天然缺陷和制造引起的缺陷。低频测试方法（例如，电导映射）和高频技术（例如，微波反射计）都用于在宽频率范围内提供屏障材料中带电缺陷的详细特征。该项目旨在帮助详细了解基于电荷的电子设备中使用的界面和介电材料。非技术描述：该项目通过使用单电子晶体管来研究主流硅电子和新兴纳米电子设备中使用的材料的新方法，单电子晶体管是一种电荷传感设备，可以检测到其附近极少量电荷的运动。该研究项目有望为新型电子材料的进一步发展做出贡献，并在纳米尺度上增强对材料之间电子活性界面的理解。与该项目有关的教育活动包括在跨学科的环境中为研究生和本科生提供教育和培训机会，以及促进多样性和少数族裔的招聘。此前由pi与当地一所高中建立的外展项目继续向高中教师和学生介绍工程，并让他们在最大程度上包容的氛围中在圣母大学进行研究。

Technical Description: With the shrinking of electronics towards the nanometer scale, just a few misplaced dopants can cause significant variability in the performance of electronic devices. Therefore, the development of an ability to accurately map vacancies, defects, dopant atoms, and interface structures becomes urgent to enable future generations of electronic devices. To achieve these goals, this project develops methods for detailed investigation of charged defects in electronics-relevant materials. The approach is to integrate novel electronic materials with single-electron transistor structures so that the native imperfections in the materials and fabrication-induced defects are directly detectable through evaluation of the single-electron transistor's characteristics. Both low-frequency testing methods (e.g., conductance mapping) and high- frequency techniques (e.g., microwave reflectometry) are used to provide detailed characterization of charged defects in the barrier materials over a broad frequency range. The project aims to contribute to the detailed understanding of the interfaces and dielectric materials used in charge-based electronic devices.Non-technical Description: This project investigates new methods to characterize materials used in mainstream silicon electronics and emerging nanoelectronic devices by using single electron transistors, which are charge-sensing devices that can detect the motion of extremely small amounts of electrical charge in their vicinity. The research project is expected to contribute to the further development of novel electronic materials and to enhance understanding of electronically active interfaces between materials at the nanometer scale. The educational activities associated with this project include the development of educational and training opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students in an interdisciplinary environment as well as for diversity and minority recruiting. An outreach program with a local high school, established previously by PIs, continues to introduce high-school teachers and students to engineering and for them to conduct research at the University of Notre Dame in an atmosphere of maximum inclusivity.