AVS 51st International Symposium
    Semiconductors Thursday Sessions
       Session SC+EM-ThM

Invited Paper SC+EM-ThM3
A Non-Traditional Approach to Low-Temperature Nitride Thin Film Deposition and Nanoscale Device Fabrication

Thursday, November 18, 2004, 9:00 am, Room 304B

Session: Wide Bandgap Semiconductors
Presenter: M.A. Hoffbauer, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Authors: M.A. Hoffbauer, Los Alamos National Laboratory
A.H. Mueller, Los Alamos National Laboratory
E.A. Akhadov, Los Alamos National Laboratory
M.A. Petruska, Los Alamos National Laboratory
V.I. Klimov, Los Alamos National Laboratory
Correspondent: Click to Email
Using energetic neutral atoms to control interfacial chemistry opens new opportunities for low temperature materials processing and device fabrication at the nanoscale. We are developing a unique low-temperature thin film growth and etching technology, exclusive to LANL, called Energetic Neutral Atom Beam Lithography/Epitaxy (ENABLE) that utilizes neutral reactive atomic species (e.g. N and O) with kinetic energies comparable to chemical bonds strengths (a few eV) for growing nitride and oxide thin films at low temperatures and for etching very high-aspect-ratio features into polymers. Co-depositing metals onto substrates simultaneously exposed to energetic N-atoms permits device quality GaN-based semiconducting films to be grown at temperatures ranging from ambient to greater than 500 C on a variety of substrates (including plastics). Characterization details regarding film crystallinity, epitaxy, stoichiometry, and optical properties will be discussed. Low-temperature GaN film deposition permits semiconducting nanocrystals (NCs) synthesized by colloidal chemistry and having size-controlled emission wavelengths to be encapsulated in a GaN-based matrix. Devices based on p-i-n structures show direct charge injection and electroluminescence from the NCs. Using energetic oxygen atoms to selectively etch various nanoscale features in polymeric films yields sub-100 nm features with aspect ratios exceeding 35:1. Examples will be shown where ENABLE is used to directly grow patterned nitride thin film structures by combining the capability to etch polymer templates with subsequent low-temperature thin film growth. Future prospects and challenges for low-temperature ENABLE-based nanoscale fabrication along with progress towards an efficient multicolor (white) light source based on a NC LED device will be presented.