MRI: Acquisition of a Molecular Beam Epitaxy System for High-Performance Oxide Films

MRI：获取高性能氧化膜分子束外延系统

• 批准号: 0619698
• 负责人: Susanne Stemmer
• 金额: $ 47.26万
• 依托单位: University of California-Santa Barbara
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2006-09-01 至 2007-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0619698&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: MRI; Acquisition; Molecular; Beam; Epitaxy

Technical AbstractThe University of California Santa Barbara will acquire a new molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) system for the growth of high-performance oxide thin films. Numerous research programs at UCSB require the growth of insulating or semiconducting oxide thin films. These include tunable dielectrics for microwave devices, oxide thin films for optoelectronics and sensing, gate dielectrics for the development of CMOS devices employing high-mobility semiconductor channels and for high-electron mobility transistors with reduced gate leakage and high charge densities. These applications require the deposition of structurally perfect oxide thin films with low impurity and point defect concentrations, control over interface atomic structures and compatibility with underlying active device layers. Oxide thin films grown by MBE will allow for the understanding of the basic physics and materials science of oxides that currently lags far behind that of other electronic materials. Experimental testing and realization of the theoretical predictions requires high-quality, pure materials and the atomic layer control afforded by MBE. We anticipate that the high-purity, structurally perfect oxide films synthesized by MBE will lead to new scientific insights that generate new device applications. Graduate students and post-doctoral researchers are the primary 'hands-on' users of MBE at UCSB. The proposed MBE system will be operated as a shared facility, impacting the education and training of a large number of students in a wide range of interdisciplinary research activities at UCSB and collaborating academic institutions - we will build on the strong culture for MBE of compound semiconductors at UCSB and house the tool in the same large shared facility. Formal training in MBE is offered in graduate courses and weekly MBE seminars in the Materials Department while hands-on-training is provided by two development engineers. The oxide MBE system will significantly extend the opportunities that have previously been offered to student and teacher research interns and education programs aimed at underrepresented groups.Lay AbstractMolecular beam epitaxy is unique among the techniques used for making new electronic materials that enable modern electronic and optical devices, such as transistors and lasers. The performance of these devices depends largely on the degree of materials perfection. In molecular beam epitaxy, layers that are a few atoms thick can be stacked and materials with different electronic properties can be combined. Molecular beam epitaxy allows for unprecedented purity of these layers - the impurity levels can be as low as a few ten parts per billion. The new molecular beam epitaxy system at the University of California Santa Barbara will be utilize these unique capabilities to develop new classes of electronic thin film materials, based on metal oxides. We anticipate that the high-purity, structurally perfect oxide films synthesized by molecular beam epitaxy will lead to new technologies, such as transistors with higher operating speeds and capacitors that enable new wireless communication devices. The oxide molecular beam epitaxy system will contribute greatly to the education and training of students at the University of California Santa Barbara, who will be the primary hands-on-users of the new system. The oxide MBE system will also significantly extend the opportunities that have previously been offered to student and science teacher interns and education programs aimed at underrepresented groups.

技术摘要加州大学圣塔芭芭拉分校将购买一套新的分子束外延 (MBE) 系统，用于生长高性能氧化物薄膜。 加州大学圣巴巴拉分校的许多研究项目都需要生长绝缘或半导体氧化物薄膜。 其中包括用于微波器件的可调电介质、用于光电子和传感的氧化物薄膜、用于开发采用高迁移率半导体通道的 CMOS 器件的栅极电介质以及用于具有减少的栅极泄漏和高电荷密度的高电子迁移率晶体管的栅极电介质。 这些应用需要沉积具有低杂质和点缺陷浓度的结构完美的氧化物薄膜、控制界面原子结构以及与下面的有源器件层的兼容性。 MBE 生长的氧化物薄膜将有助于理解目前远远落后于其他电子材料的氧化物的基础物理和材料科学。 实验测试和理论预测的实现需要高质量、纯材料和 MBE 提供的原子层控制。 我们预计，MBE 合成的高纯度、结构完美的氧化膜将带来新的科学见解，从而产生新的器件应用。 研究生和博士后研究人员是加州大学圣巴巴拉分校 MBE 的主要“实践”用户。 拟议的 MBE 系统将作为共享设施运行，影响 UCSB 和合作学术机构的广泛跨学科研究活动中大量学生的教育和培训 - 我们将建立化合物半导体 MBE 的强大文化在 UCSB 并将该工具放置在同一个大型共享设施中。 材料部门的研究生课程和每周 MBE 研讨会提供 MBE 的正式培训，而实践培训则由两名开发工程师提供。 氧化物 MBE 系统将显着增加以前为学生和教师研究实习生以及针对代表性不足群体的教育计划提供的机会。Lay Abstract分子束外延在用于制造新型电子材料的技术中是独一无二的，这些技术使现代电子和光学设备成为可能，例如晶体管和激光器。 这些设备的性能很大程度上取决于材料的完善程度。 在分子束外延中，可以堆叠几个原子厚的层，并且可以组合具有不同电子特性的材料。 分子束外延可以使这些层达到前所未有的纯度——杂质水平可以低至十亿分之几十。 加州大学圣塔芭芭拉分校的新型分子束外延系统将利用这些独特的功能来开发基于金属氧化物的新型电子薄膜材料。 我们预计，通过分子束外延合成的高纯度、结构完美的氧化膜将带来新技术，例如具有更高运行速度的晶体管和能够实现新型无线通信设备的电容器。 氧化物分子束外延系统将为加州大学圣巴巴拉分校学生的教育和培训做出巨大贡献，他们将成为新系统的主要实践用户。 氧化物 MBE 系统还将显着扩大之前为学生和科学教师实习生以及针对代表性不足群体的教育计划提供的机会。