Growth and Predictive Modeling of InSb Nanopillars by Catalyst-Free Selective Area Epitaxy

技术描述：该项目为历史上困难的材料系统InSb提供了一种新的外延生长方法。锑化铟在几种先进技术应用中具有吸引人的特性，例如中波长红外传感、超高速电子学和热电学，但由于缺乏半绝缘、晶格匹配的衬底以及通常复杂的外延要求，其在发展中已经达到了一个平台。在这个项目中使用的方法涉及两个创新的组件，以解决传统的InSb外延的局限性：无催化剂的半导体InSb纳米柱外延和纳米柱形成的多尺度外延建模。生长中的努力涉及通过选择性区域外延金属有机化学气相沉积来控制无催化剂InSb纳米柱中的三维生长、掺杂剂掺入、缺陷形成和表面钝化。使用第一性原理电子结构计算和原子动力学蒙特卡罗模拟来完成外延建模，以与实验结果相关联，从而全面了解InSb纳米柱自组装的详细过程，并为未来的实验提供信息。该项目的更广泛影响在几个层面上得到处理，包括本科生和研究生的研究经验和社区外展工作，以扩大参与纳米技术。研究生担任本科生的导师，提供宝贵的实验室经验和接触科学研究，并反过来获得领导和管理技能。加州大学洛杉矶分校的双部门合作（数学和电气工程）将有助于在理论家和实验家之间建立更强的关系，以提高我们对纳米柱自组装的理解，并导致未来的项目。该项目产生的技术将为一个新的InSb纳米材料平台提供基础，该平台的横向尺寸和位置通过光刻来控制。这些材料将有可能作为中波长红外/太赫兹光电器件和超高速晶体管的构建模块。

Technical Description: This project offers a new epitaxial growth approach for a historically difficult material system, InSb. Indium antimonide has attractive properties in several advanced technology applications such as mid-wavelength infrared sensing, ultra-high-speed electronics and thermoelectrics, but it has reached a plateau in evolution because of a lack of semi-insulating, lattice-matched substrates, and generally complex epitaxial requirements. The approach used in this project involves two innovative components to address the limitations of traditional InSb epitaxy: catalyst-free semiconductor InSb nanopillar epitaxy and multi-scale epitaxial modeling of nanopillar formation. Efforts in growth involve control of three-dimensional growth, dopant incorporation, defect formation, and surface passivation in catalyst-free InSb nanopillars by selective-area epitaxy metal-organic chemical vapor deposition. Epitaxial modeling is accomplished using first-principles electronic-structure calculations and atomistic kinetic-Monte-Carlo simulation to correlate to experimental results for a complete understanding of the detailed process of InSb nanopillar self-assembly and inform future experiments.Non-technical Description: The broader impacts of this project are addressed at several levels, including undergraduate and graduate research experience and community outreach efforts to broaden participation in nanotechnology. Graduate students act as mentors to undergraduate students, providing valuable lab experience and exposure to scientific research, and in turn gain leadership and management skills. The dual-department collaboration (mathematics and electrical engineering) at UCLA will help build stronger relationships between theorists and experimentalists to improve our understanding of nanopillar self-assembly and lead to future projects. The resulting technology of this project will provide the foundation for a new InSb nanomaterial platform where lateral dimensions and site-location are controlled via lithography. These materials will potentially serve as building blocks for mid-wavelength infrared/terahertz optoelectronic devices and ultra-high-speed transistors.