CAREER: Low-Temperature Growth of High Crystallinity GeSn on Amorphous Materials for Advanced Optoelectronics

职业：用于先进光电子学的非晶材料上高结晶度 GeSn 的低温生长

• 批准号: 1255066
• 负责人: Jifeng Liu
• 金额: $ 56.6万
• 依托单位: Dartmouth College
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-02-01 至 2019-01-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1255066&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Low; Temperature; Growth; Crystallinity

Technical Description: The research objective of this CAREER project is to grow large-grained and single-crystal GeSn directly on amorphous materials at temperatures below 500 degrees Celsius as a gateway towards advanced optoelectronics on dielectric layers and glass substrates. Growing high crystallinity semiconductor thin films on amorphous substrates has long been a significant challenge in materials science that could break through the limitations of conventional methods such as epitaxy and wafer bonding. In this project, the research team investigates a new approach based on eutectic-mediated growth in Ge-Sn system to achieve high crystallinity GeSn alloy on amorphous substrates at low temperatures. Incorporation of Sn into Ge during the eutectic-mediated growth also transforms Ge towards a direct gap semiconductor with significantly improved optoelectronic properties. Furthermore, nanoscale geometrically-confined nucleation is applied to achieve single-crystal-like GeSn on amorphous layers for high performance optoelectronic devices. The fundamental materials science of related nucleation and growth mechanisms are studied both experimentally by microscopy and diffraction analyses and theoretically via Phase Field modeling. The research also investigates defects in GeSn and methods to reduce and passivate them for optimal optoelectronic properties.Non-technical Description: This project investigates a potentially transformative technology for applications in cost-effective, high-efficiency tandem solar cells as well as three-dimensional photonic circuits on future generations of silicon microchips. The principal investigator (PI) not only integrates the research project with graduate and undergraduate education, but also offers hands-on laboratory experiences related to this research project for 10th-11th grade students. The PI also plans to share interesting educational activities at the level of Scientific American with the general public via YouTube and other public media.

技术描述：该 CAREER 项目的研究目标是在低于 500 摄氏度的温度下直接在非晶材料上生长大晶粒单晶 GeSn，作为介电层和玻璃基板上先进光电子学的门户。在非晶衬底上生长高结晶度半导体薄膜长期以来一直是材料科学中的一个重大挑战，它可以突破外延和晶圆键合等传统方法的局限性。在该项目中，研究小组研究了一种基于Ge-Sn系统共晶介导生长的新方法，以在低温下在非晶基底上实现高结晶度的GeSn合金。在共晶介导的生长过程中将 Sn 掺入 Ge 中也可以将 Ge 转变为具有显着改善光电性能的直接带隙半导体。此外，应用纳米级几何限制成核在非晶层上实现类单晶GeSn，用于高性能光电器件。相关成核和生长机制的基础材料科学通过显微镜和衍射分析进行实验研究，并通过相场建模进行理论研究。该研究还研究了 GeSn 的缺陷以及减少和钝化这些缺陷以获得最佳光电性能的方法。非技术描述：该项目研究了一种潜在的变革性技术，可用于经济高效的串联太阳能电池以及三维太阳能电池下一代硅微芯片上的光子电路。首席研究员（PI）不仅将研究项目与研究生和本科生教育相结合，还为10-11年级的学生提供与该研究项目相关的实践实验室经验。 PI 还计划通过 YouTube 和其他公共媒体与公众分享《科学美国人》层面有趣的教育活动。

项目成果

GeSn on Insulators (GeSnOI) Toward Mid-infrared Integrated Photonics

绝缘体上GeSn (GeSnOI) 迈向中红外集成光子学

• DOI: 10.3389/fphy.2019.00134
• 发表时间: 2019-09-23
• 期刊: Frontiers in Physics
• 影响因子: 3.1
• 作者: Xiaoxin Wang;A. C. Cuervo Covian;Lisa Je;Sidan Fu;Haofeng Li;J. Piao;Jifeng Liu
• 通讯作者: Jifeng Liu

Highly effective strain-induced band-engineering of (111) oriented, direct-gap GeSn crystallized on amorphous SiO 2 layers

在非晶 SiO 2 层上结晶的 (111) 取向、直接带隙 GeSn 的高效应变诱导能带工程

• DOI: 10.1063/1.4943192
• 发表时间: 2016-03
• 期刊: Applied Physics Letters
• 影响因子: 4
• 作者: Wang, Xiaoxin;Liu, Jifeng
• 通讯作者: Liu, Jifeng