Collaborative Research: SiGeSn-based heterostructures for intersubband photonic materials

合作研究：基于SiGeSn的子带间光子材料异质结构

• 批准号: 2320178
• 负责人: Benjamin Williams
• 金额: $ 25万
• 依托单位: University of California-Los Angeles
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-08-01 至 2026-07-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2320178&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; SiGeSn; based; heterostructures

Non-technical description:The goal of this project is to study and develop a new semiconductor material system based upon alloys of silicon, germanium, and tin (SiGeSn). This activity builds upon the expertise of one of the team in developing SiGeSn materials for a variety of photonic devices in the near- and mid-infrared (such as lasers and photodetectors). Theoretical work has predicted that SiGeSn materials could be grown in alternating atomically sharp stacks with germanium (Ge) layers to make sets of quantum wells whose electronic energy levels can be engineered by design to give an optical response in an undeveloped part of the electromagnetic spectrum: the very long wavelength infrared and the terahertz. Furthermore, due to the fact that each of the constituent atoms of the material resides in the same column of the periodic table (Group IV), the vibrations of the crystal do not induce electric dipoles and hence will not interact much with light and electrons – a highly beneficial property. Fundamental studies are pursued to (a) grow the specific compositions of the SiGeSn material in layered stacks with atomically sharp interfaces, (b) characterize the fundamental electronic properties of such materials, and (c) show in a proof-of-concept demonstration that a far-infrared optical transition can be engineered according to our designs. If successful, this work lays the foundation for new far-infrared and terahertz lasers and photodetectors so as to fully exploit the electromagnetic spectrum. In addition to the involvement of graduate and undergraduate students, one principal investigator participates in a research projects course designed for the recruitment and retention of underrepresented minority first-year engineering students, and the other principal investigator recruits involved students from a local HBCU. This new semiconductor material system is highly compatible with mainstream silicon semiconductor technology, which will ease transition to industry and will advance future US semiconductor manufacturing interests. Technical description:The research goal of this project is to investigate lattice-matched Ge/SiGeSn heterostructure quantum wells as a new material system for n-type intersubband optoelectronic devices in the mid-infrared and far-infrared spectral range. The motivation lies in the fact that such group-IV semiconductors are non-polar, which results in a dramatically different character of the optical phonon interactions compared with III-V heterostructures widely used for intersubband devices. For example, (a) there is dramatically reduced intersubband electron-phonon nonradiative scattering and (b) drastic reduction of the strong absorption of light by optical phonons associated with the Reststrahlen band. If successfully developed, this material system could lead to terahertz quantum-cascade lasers that operate at room-temperature with low power consumption; high-sensitivity quantum-well infrared photodetectors in the far- and mid-infrared; the ability to newly reach the far-infrared wavelengths of 30-60 microns with group IV semiconductor devices not accessible with conventional III-V materials. The research comprises complementary efforts in materials growth and characterization, THz and far-infrared intersubband optical spectroscopy, and culminating in a proof-of-concept demonstration of intersubband based photoconductivity. Development of the SiGeSn material system for infrared and THz photonics opens the possibility of foundry-based growth of devices on 300-mm wafers, and integration with next generation integrated “silicon” photonic platforms in the mid-infrared. This has the potential to benefit many applications in sensing, thermal imaging, communications, and spectroscopy.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

非技术描述：该项目的目标是研究和开发一种基于硅、锗和锡合金 (SiGeSn) 的新型半导体材料系统。这项活动建立在开发 SiGeSn 材料的团队之一的专业知识之上。各种近红外和中红外光子器件（例如激光器和光电探测器）预测 SiGeSn 材料可以以交替的原子尖锐堆叠方式生长。与锗（Ge）层形成量子阱组，其电子能级可以通过设计进行设计，以在电磁波谱的未开发部分（非常长波长红外和太赫兹）中产生光学响应。由于材料的每个组成原子都位于元素周期表的同一列（第四族），因此晶体的振动不会产生电偶极子，因此不会与光和电子发生太多相互作用 -基础研究致力于 (a) 在具有原子锐利界面的层状堆叠中生长 SiGeSn 材料的特定成分，(b) 表征此类材料的基本电子特性，以及 (c) 在证明中展示。 -概念论证，可以根据我们的设计来设计远红外光学跃迁。如果成功，这项工作将为新型远红外和太赫兹激光器和光电探测器奠定基础，从而充分利用这一潜力。除了研究生和本科生的参与外，一名首席研究员还参加了一个研究项目课程，该课程旨在招募和保留代表性不足的少数族裔一年级工程学生，另一名首席研究员则招募来自当地 HBCU 的学生。这种新的半导体材料系统与主流硅半导体技术高度兼容，这将简化向工业的过渡，并促进未来美国半导体制造的兴趣。该项目的研究目标是研究晶格匹配的Ge/SiGeSn异质结构。量子阱作为中红外和远红外光谱范围内n型子带间光电器件的新材料系统，其动机在于这种IV族半导体是非极性的，这导致了显着不同的特性。与广泛用于子带间器件的 III-V 异质结构相比，光学声子相互作用的显着减少，例如，(a) 子带间电子声子非辐射散射显着减少，(b) 显着减少。与 Reststrahlen 波段相关的光学声子对光的强烈吸收如果成功开发，该材料系统可以在室温下以低功耗运行的太赫兹量子级联激光器；远红外和中红外；使用 IV 族半导体器件能够达到传统 III-V 族材料无法达到的 30-60 微米远红外波长。包括材料生长和表征、太赫兹和远红外子带间光谱学方面的互补努力，最终实现了基于子带间光电导性的概念验证演示，用于红外和太赫兹光子学的 SiGeSn 材料系统的开发开启了代工的可能性。基于 300 毫米晶圆的器件生长，以及与中红外下一代集成“硅”光子平台的集成，这具有潜力。使传感、热成像、通信和光谱学领域的许多应用受益。该奖项反映了 NSF 的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。