Research
Thrusts
.....Nanostructures
.....Biomimetics
.....Bio-Nano
Fan Ren - Wide Energy Bandgap Electronic Devices: The wide energy bandgap GaN based materials have been extensively investigated in recently years due to their exciting optical and electronic applications. Visible and ultraviolet lasers and light-emitting diodes for display and data storage have been demonstrated. This laboratory is a part of consortium to develop the technologies for high power and high breakdown voltage electronics based on GaN based materials. The contact metallization, passivation, device integration and characterization will be performed in this laboratory. These investigations have been supported by the Office of Naval Research, the Electric Power Research Institute, and the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency.
Semiconductor Device Passivation
This research program is to develop the basic science and technology of low temperature deposition methods which can provide reliable and reproducible passivation for compound semiconductor devices, such as pseudomorphic AlGaAs/InGaAs/GaAs PHEMTs, GaAs MESFETs, GaAs based HBTs and InGaAs/InP based HBTs, and GaN based devices. There are three areas under investigation:
- Deposit silicon nitride based dielectrics using different precursors such as SiH4/NH3, SiH4/N2, SiD4/ N2, SiD4/ND3, and hydrogen-free dielectric and incorporating the D, O, or N plasma treatment into silicon nitride film deposition to reduce the dangling bonds.
- Optimize the dielectric material quality with different dielectric deposition techniques and deposition conditions. The systems that will be used for the studies include conventional plasma enhance chemical vapor deposition(PECVD), down stream electron cyclotron resonance chemical vapor deposition(ECRCVD), and inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition(ICPCVD).
- Study the device degradation mechanisms related to deposition techniques, dielectric film quality, and hydrogen passivation effect.