SIMOX RADIATION HARD LINEAR BIPOLAR STRUCTURES

THE OBJECTIVE OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH PROGRAM IS TO DEVELOP A PROCESS FOR HETEROEPITAXIAL DEPOSITION OF INP ON SILICON-ON-INSULATOR WAFERS BY METALORGANIC CHEMICAL VAPOR DEPOSITON (MOCVD). INP IS AN EXCEPTIONALLY PROMISING SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIAL FOR RADIATION-HARD, HIGH-SPEED, AND OPTOELECTRONIC DEVICES. ITS PROMISE STEMS FROM HIGH ELECTRON SATURATION VELOCITY, RADIATION RESISTANCE, AND ROOM TEMPERATURE DEFECT ANNEALING QUALITIES. SIMOX (SEPARATION BY IMPLANTATION OF OXYGEN) IS CAPABLE OF PRODUCING LARGE AREA, HIGHQUALITY SUBSTRATES SUITABLE FOR HIGH-SPEED RADIATION-HARD DEVICES. COMPARED TO INP, SIMOX WAFERS HAVE VERY HIGH STRENGTH-TO-WEIGHT RATIO AND THERMAL CONDUCTIVITY. COMBINING THE TWO MATERIALS GROWING ON A SINGLE SUBSTRATE WOULD RESULT IN A HETEROSTRUCTURE WITH ALL THE POTENTIAL STRATEGIC MILITARY ADVANTAGES OF BOTH INP-ON-SI AND SOI. THIS RESEARCH EFFORT WILL DEVELOP A DEPOSITION PROCESS TO YIELD DEVICE QUALITY SINGLE CRYSTAL INP-ON-SIMOX, LEADING TO ADVANCED, RADIATION-HARD (NEUTRON TOLERANT) SUBSTRATES SUITABLE FOR FABRICATION OF RELIABLE ANALOG DEVICES. PHASE I WILL DEPOSIT SINGLE CRYSTALLINE INP ONTO SIMOX WAFERS AND CHARACTERIZE STRUCTURAL AND ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES OF THE FILMS. THIS WILL BE ACHIEVED BY COUPLING SPIRE'S EXPERIENCE IN PRODUCING HIGH-QUALITY SIMOX WAFERS WITH THAT OF DEPOSITING HIGH-QUALITY GAAS ON DIMOX AND INP-ON-SI. PHASE II WILL DEAL WITH OPTIMIZATION OF GROWTH PARAMETERS, DEMONSTRATION OF DEVICE QUALITY INP/SIMOX MATERIALS, AND FABRICATION OF INP/SIMOX MESFETS THAT CAN BE TESTED UNDER NEUTRON IRRADIATION FOR COMPARISON WITH THOSE FABRICATED DIRECTLY ON SILICON.