NARROW BANDGAP SEMICONDUCTING SILICIDES: INTRINSIC INFRARED DETECTORS ON A SILICON CHIP

THE PHASE I RESEARCH IS A FUNDAMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THREE NARROW BANDGAP, SEMICONDUTING TRANSITION METAL SILICIDES. THESE MATERIALS MAY BE SUITABLE FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A NEW CLASS OF INTRINSIC INFRARED DETECTORS INTEGRATED DIRECTLY ONTO A SILICON CHIP. DISTINCT ADVANTAGES INCLUDES A COMPATABILITY WITH EXISTING SILICON MICROELECTRONICS PROCESSING ENABLING THE MONOLITHIC INTEGRATION OF DETECTORS AND SIGNAL PROCESSING ELECTRONICS, AND THE HIGH SPECTRAL RESPONSE OF INTRINSIC SEMICONDUCTOR DETECTORS. THE PHASE I OBJECTIVES ARE TO FABRICATE THIN FILMS OF CRSI2, LASI2 AND RESI2, TO CHARACTERIZE THEM STRUCTURALLY AND COMPOSITIONALLY, AND TO DETERMINE THEIR OPTICAL PROPERTIES INT HE VICINITY OF THEIR FUNDAMENTAL ABSORPTION EDGES. SPECTRAL TRANSMITTANCE AND REFLECTANCE DATA WILL BE OBTAINED, AND FROM THESE, THE ENERGY DEPENDENCES OF THE OPTICAL ABSORPTION CONSTANTS AND THE COMPLEX INDICES OF REFRACTION WILL BE DETERMINED. THIS RESEARCH CONSTITUTES THE FIRST STEP IN THE EVALUATION OF THESE MATERIALS AS INTRINSIC INFRARED DETECTORS. PHASE II RESEARCH WILL FOCUS ON PHOTOELECTRONIC (RATHER THAN OPTICAL)MATERIAL PROPERTIES CRUCIAL TO DETECTOR PERFORMANCE, AND TECHNIQUES FOR FABRICATING PRACTICAL DEVICE STRUCTURES.