Formation of Au nano-patterns on various substrates using simplified nano-transfer printing method

For future device applications, fabrication of the metal nano-patterns on various substrates, such as Si wafer, non-planar glass lens and flexible plastic films become important. Among various nano-patterning technologies, nano-transfer print method is one of the simplest techniques to fabricate metal nano-patterns. In nano-transfer printing process, thin Au layer is deposited on flexible PDMS mold, containing surface protrusion patterns, and the Au layer is transferred from PDMS mold to various substrates due to the difference of bonding strength of Au layer to PDMS mold and to the substrate. For effective transfer of Au layer, self-assembled monolayer, which has strong bonding to Au, is deposited on the substrate as a glue layer.In this study, complicated SAM layer coating process was replaced to simple UV/ozone treatment, which can activates the surface and form the -OH radicals. Using simple UV/ozone treatments on both Au and substrate, Au nano-pattern can be successfully transferred to as large as 6 in. diameter Si wafer, without SAM coating process. High fidelity transfer of Au nano-patterns to non-planar glass lens and flexible PET film was also demonstrated.     

硅压力传感器中硅玻璃阳极键合的热应力分析

由于硅与玻璃阳极键合需要在相对较高的温度下进行,因此材料之间会因热膨胀系数失配而产生较大的热应力,该应力对压力传感器的性能影响较大。对采用单晶硅横膈膜作为敏感膜与玻璃环阳极键合形成压力参考腔的封装,用有限元方法对硅玻璃环键合后因温度变化所产生的应力分布进行了系统仿真分析,并采用泰曼一格林干涉仪对键合后硅片的变形进行测量。测量结果显示硅膜的挠度为283nm,测量结果与仿真结果基本一致。     

Massive transfer of vertically aligned Si nanowire array onto alien substrates and their characteristics

Si nanowires (NWs) are promising materials for future electronic, photovoltaic, and sensor applications. So far the Si NWs are mainly formed on particular substrates or at high temperatures, greatly limiting their application flexibility. Here we report a low temperature process for forming and massively transferring vertically aligned Si NWs on alien substrates with a large density of about (3-5) × 10⁷ NWs/mm². The X-ray diffraction spectrum reveals that the transferred NWs exhibit almost the same crystal property as the bulk Si. Our investigation further shows that the transferred NWs have exceptional optical characteristics. The transferred Si NWs of 12.14 μm exhibit the transmittance as low as 0.3% in the near infrared region and 0.07% in the visible region. The extracted absorption coefficient of Si NWs in the near infrared region is about 3 × 10³ cm⁻¹, over 30 times larger than that of the bulk Si. Because of the low temperature process, it enables a large variety of alien substrates such as glass and plastics to be used. In addition, the exceptional properties of the transferred NWs offer potential applications for photovoltaic, photo-detectors, sensors, and flexible electronics.     

Internal modification of glass by ultrashort laser pulse and its application to microwelding

Internal modification process of glass by ultrashort laser pulse (USLP) and its applications to microwelding of glass are presented. A simulation model is developed, which can determine intensity distribution of absorbed laser energy, nonlinear absorptivity and temperature distribution at different pulse repetition rates and pulse energies in internal modification of bulk glass with fs- and ps-laser pulses from experimental modified structure. The formation process of the dual-structured internal modification is clarified, which consists of a teardrop-shaped inner structure and an elliptical outer structure, corresponding to the laser-absorbing region and heat-affected molten region, respectively. Nonlinear absorptivity at high pulse repetition rates increases due to the increase in the thermally excited free electron density for avalanche ionization. USLP enables crack-free welding of glass because the shrinkage stress is suppressed by producing embedded molten pool by nonlinear absorption process, in contrast to conventional continuous wave laser welding where cracks cannot be avoided due to shrinkage stress produced in cooling process. Microwelding techniques of glass by USLP have been developed to join glass/glass and Si/glass using optically contacted sample pairs. The strength of the weld joint as high as that of base material is obtained without pre- and post-heating in glass/glass welding. In Si/glass welding, excellent joint performances competitive with anodic bonding in terms of joint strength and process throughput have been attained.     

Al-Induced Crystallization Growth of Si Films by Inductively Coupled Plasma Chemical Vapour Deposition

Polycrystalline Si （poly-Si） films are in situ grown on Al-coated glass substrates by inductively coupled plasma chemical vapour deposition at a temperature as low as 350℃. Compared to the traditional annealing crystalliza- tion of amorphous Si/Al-layer structures, no layer exchange is observed and the resultant poly-Si film is much thicker than Al layer. By analysing the depth profiles of the elemental composition, no remains of A1 atoms are detected in Si layer within the limit （〈0.01 at.%） of the used evaluations. It is indicated that the poly-Si material obtained by Al-induced crystallization growth has more potential applications than that prepared by annealing the amorphous Si/Al-layer structures.     

Si/polyaniline-based porous carbon composites with an enhanced electrochemical performance as anode materials for Li-ion batteries

Silicon/polyaniline-based porous carbon (Si/PANI-AC) composites have been prepared by a three-step method: coating polyaniline on Si particles using in situ polymerization, carbonizing, and further activating by steam. The morphology and structure of Si/PANI-AC composites have been characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and Raman spectra, respectively. The content and pore structure of the carbon coating layer in Si/PANI-AC have been measured by thermogravimetric analysis and N₂ adsorption-desorption isotherm, respectively. The results indicate some micropores about 1~2 nm in the carbon layer appear during activation and that crystal structure and morphology of Si particles can be retained during preparation. Si/PANI-AC composites exhibit high discharge capacity about 1000 mAh g^?1 at 1.5 A g^?1; moreover, when the current density returns to 0.2 A g^?1, the discharge capacity is still 1692 mAh g^?1 and remains 1453 mAh g^?1 after 70 cycles. The results indicate that the porous carbon coating layer in composites plays an important role in the improvement of the electrochemical performance of pure Si.     

Mechanics of plasma exposed spin-on-glass (SOG) and polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS) surfaces and their impact on bond strength

Silicone polymer (PDMS), widely used for micro-fluidic and biosensor applications, possesses an extremely dynamic surface after it is subjected to an oxygen plasma treatment process. The surface becomes extremely hydrophilic immediately after oxygen plasma exposure by developing silanol bond (SiOH), which promotes its adhesion to some other surfaces like, silicon, silicon dioxide, glass, etc. Such a surface, if left in ambient dry air, shows a gradual recovery of hydrophobicity. We have found an identical behavior to occur to surfaces coated with a thin continuous film of SOG (methyl silsesquioxane). The chemistry induced by oxygen plasma treatment of a spin-on-glass (SOG) coated surface provides a much higher density of surface silanol groups in comparison to precleaned glass, silicon or silicon dioxide substrates thus providing a higher bond strength with polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS). The bonding protocol developed by using the spin coated and cured SOG intermediate layer provides an universal regime of multi level wafer bonding of PDMS to a variety of substrates. The paper describes a contact angle based estimation of bond strength for SOG and PDMS surfaces exposed to various combinations of plasma parameters. We have found that the highest bond strength condition is achieved if the contact angle on the SOG surface is less than 10°.     

Microwave spectrum,structure, and chemical bonding of trimethylbromosilane

The microwave spectrum of trimethylbromosilane (trimethylsilylbromide) has been investigated in the 26.5–40.0-GHz region. Spectra of several isotopic species have been observed, including the previously unreported spectrum of the ¹H¹²C³⁰Si⁸¹Br species, which yielded a B rotational constant of 1440.92 ± 0.02 MHz. From the experimental data it has been possible to derive the following structural parameters: SiBr = 2.235 ± 0.002 Å, SiC = 1.856 ± 0.010 Å, and ∠CSiBr = 107.5 ± 0.1°. The results have been compared to other relevant data and discussed in terms of prevailing chemical bonding principles.     

Leakage current and capacitance characteristics of Si/SiO2/Si single-barrier varactor

We investigate, both experimentally and theoretically, current and capacitance (I–V/C–V) characteristics and the device performance of Si/SiO₂/Si single-barrier varactor diodes (SBVs). Two diodes were fabricated with different SiO₂ layer thicknesses using the state-of-the-art wafer bonding technique. The devices have very low leakage currents (about 5×10^-2 and 1.8×10^-2 mA/mm²) and intrinsic capacitance levels of typically 1.5 and 50 nF/mm² for diodes with 5-nm and 20-nm oxide layers, respectively. With the present device physical parameters (25-mm² device area, 760-μm modulation layer thickness and ≈10¹⁵-cm^-3 doping level), the estimated cut-off frequency is about 5×10⁷ Hz. With the physical parameters of the present existing III–V triplers, the cut-off frequency of our Si-based SBV can be as high as 0.5 THz. Received: 9 February 2001 / Accepted: 9 February 2001 / Published online: 23 March 2001     

Room temperature electroluminescence from ZnO/Si heterojunction devices grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition

Heterojunction light-emitting diodes with ZnO/Si structure were fabricated on both high-resistivity (p) and low-resistivity (p⁺) Si substrates by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition technology. Fairly good rectifications were observed from the current-voltage curves of both heterojunctions. Ultraviolet (UV) and blue-white electroluminescence (EL) from ZnO layer were observed only from ZnO/p⁺-Si heterojunction under forward bias at room temperature (RT), while strong infrared (IR) EL emissions from Si substrates were detected from both ZnO/p-Si and ZnO/p⁺-Si heterojunctions. The UV and IR EL mechanisms have been explained by energy band structures. The realization of RT EL in UV-visible and IR region on Si substrate has great applicable potential for Si-based optoelectronic integrated circuits.     

Atomic structure of Bi-dimer row selectively adsorbed on Si(5 5 12)-2 × 1 surface

In order to understand the atomic structure of nanostructures self-assembled on the template with one-dimensional symmetry, Bi/Si(5 5 12) system has been chosen and Bi-adsorption steps have been studied by STM. With Bi adsorption, the clean Si(5 5 12) is transformed to (3 3 7) terraces with disordered boundary due to mismatched periodicities between (3 3 7) and (5 5 12), and Bi-dimer rows are formed inside the (3 3 7) unit as follows: Initially, when Bi atoms are deposited at the adsorption temperature of about 450 °C, they selectively replace Si-dimers and Si-adatoms and form adsorbed Bi-dimers and Bi-adatoms, respectively. If additional Bi is supplied, the Bi-dimers adsorb on the Bi-dimers and Bi-adatoms in the first layer. These adsorbed dimers in the second layer are facing each other to form a Bi-dimer pair with relatively stable p³bonding. Finally, a single Bi-dimer adsorbs above the Bi-dimer pair in the second layer, at which point the Bi layer thickness saturates. It has been concluded that the Bi-dimer pair with stable p³ bonding is the composing element in the second layer and such site-selective adsorption is possible due to the substrate-strain relaxation through inserting Bi-buffer layer limited to specific sites of the substrate.     

Laser induced single-crystal transition in polycrystalline silicon

Transition to single crystal of polycrystalline Si material underlying a Si crystal substrate of 〈100〉 orientation was obtained via laser irradiation. The changes in the structure were analyzed by reflection high energy electron diffraction and by channeling effect technique using 2.0 MeV He Rutherford scattering. The power density required to induce the transition in a 4500 ? thick polycrystalline layer is about 70 MW/cm² (50ns). The corresponding amorphous to single transition has a threshold of about 45 MW/cm².     

Lattice disorder in silicon induced by 2.0 MeV Cu+ irradiation

The effect of 2.0 MeV Cu⁺ irradiation on Si(100) crystal has been studied by the Rutherford backscattering/channeling technique. Analysis of the lattice disorder distribution has been performed under 100 direction of tilting off from the target normal: 7°, 30°, and 45° as well as different doses. The lattice disorder distributions in Si(100) have been compared with TRIM'89 simulation. The results show that the lattice disorder distributions in Si(100) under different irradiation angles seem to be in good agreement with TRIM'89 simulation. When the dose increases up to 8.7×10¹⁴ ions/cm², the defect concentration increases leading to the formation of an amorphous layer.     

Flexible a‐Si:H/nc‐Si:H tandem thin film silicon solar cells on plastic substrates with i ‐layers made by hot‐wire CVD

In this letter we report the result of an a‐Si:H/nc‐Si:H tandem thin film silicon solar mini‐module fabricated on plastic foil containing intrinsic silicon layers made by hot‐wire CVD (efficiency 7.4%, monolithically series‐connected, aperture area 25 cm²). We used the Helianthos cell transfer process. The cells were first deposited on a temporary aluminum foil carrier, which allows the use of the optimal processing temperatures, and then transferred to a plastic foil. This letter reports the characteristics of the flexible solar cells obtained in this manner, and compares the results with those obtained on reference glass substrates. The research focus for implementation of the hot‐wire CVD technique for the roll‐to‐roll process is also discussed. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Solid-phase crystallization of amorphous Si films on glass and Si wafer

When amorphous silicon films deposited on glass by physical or chemical vapor deposition are annealed, they undergo crystallization by nucleation and growth. The growth rate of Si crystallites is the highest in their 〈111〉 directions along or nearly along the film surface. The directed crystallization is likely to develop the 〈110〉//ND or 〈111〉//ND oriented Si crystallites. As the annealing temperature increases, the equiaxed crystallization increases, which in turn increases the random orientation. When amorphous Si is under a stress of the order of 0.1 GPa at about 540 °C, the tensile stress increases the growth rate of Si grains, whereas the compressive stress decreases the growth rate. However, the crystal growth rate increases with the increasing hydrostatic pressure, when the pressure is of the order of GPa at 530–540 °C. These phenomena have been discussed based on the directed crystallization model advanced before, which has been further elaborated.     

Photoluminescence Studies of Pr<Superscript>3+</Superscript> Doped Lead Germanate Glass

The Pr³⁺doped PbO-GeO₂ glass samples have been synthesized by melting and quenching process. The nephelauxetic ratio, covalency and bonding parameter which provides the information about the type of bonding between the rare earth ion and neighbor oxygen atoms calculated. The optical parameters such as radiative transition probabilities, radiative lifetime, branching ratios etc. of Pr³⁺ ions have been determined by Judd-Ofelt analysis. An upconversion emission using the excitation at ~594 nm supported by energy transfer process due to dipole-dipole interaction in the ¹D₂ metastable state has been found.     

A study of the nitridation of silicon surfaces by low-energy electron diffraction and auger electron spectroscopy

Low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) have been used to study the initial stages of the nitridation of silicon. Most of the experiments involved pressures of 10^?5?10^?7 torr of ammonia and silicon temperatures in the range 800–1100°C. An earlier study of the nitridation of the Si (111) surface, has been extended to allow comparison between the (111), (311) and (100) faces of silicon. These surfaces provide a series of unit meshes with different shapes and symmetries while retaining some common geometrical features. Of particular interest for epitaxial theory is the growth of an impurity induced nitride structure, which is common to both Si(111) and Si (311). This may be explained if the nucleation and orientation of the niti ide are determined by the geometry of localised sites, common to both substrates. Subsequent growth of the nitride layer is then dominated by intra-layer bonding, so that the difference in substrate symmetries has little effect.     

Dielectric relaxation and a.c. conduction phenomena of PbO-PbF2-B2O3 glasses doped with FeO

PbO-PbF₂-B₂O₃ glasses containing different concentrations of FeO have been prepared. The glasses are characterized by X-ray diffraction and differential thermal analysis. The dielectric properties viz., dielectric constant, loss, conductivity, over a moderately wide range of frequency and temperature and dielectric breakdown strength have been investigated. The results of these studies have been analyzed in the light of different oxidation states of iron with the aid of the data on IR, ESR, optical absorption and magnetic susceptibility measurements. The analysis shows that iron ions exist mainly in Fe³⁺ state, occupy tetrahedral positions and increase the insulating strength of the glass if FeO is present in smaller concentrations. However, if FeO is present in higher concentrations in the glass matrix, (i) the dielectric relaxation intensity has been observed to increase, (ii) the intensity and the half width of the ESR signal has been observed to decrease and (iii) the value of magnetic moment (evaluated from magnetic susceptibility) has been observed to drop to a value of 4.6 μ_B from 5.7 μ_B. From these results it has been concluded that in this concentration range, iron ions exist mainly in divalent state.     

Adhesive-free bonding of Zerodur glass to silicon

This work demonstrates anodic bonding of Zerodur glass having very low co-efficient of thermal expansion (CTE) to Si, Zerodur glass to thermally grown silicon dioxide on silicon and Pyrex glass to Ge. Bonding results, using point cathode contact and plate cathode contact configurations, are discussed. Bonding parameters, i.e. applied dc voltage, temperature and bonding time were determined. Heating and cooling rates for crack-free bonding of Zerodur glass were also determined.     

Electrical activation of boron-implanted silicon during rapid thermal annealing

The electrical activation of boron implanted in crystalline and preamorphized silicon has been investigated during rapid thermal annealing performed with halogen lamps. Samples implanted with B⁺ fluences ranging between 5×10¹⁴ and 1×10¹⁶cm⁻² and treated at temperatures between 900°C and 1100°C have been examined. When boron is implanted in crystalline Si, activation proceeds slowly atT<1000°C and cannot be completed in times typical of rapid thermal annealing (a few tens of seconds). The analysis of carrier profiles indicates that the time constant for activation is strongly affected by local damage and dopant concentration. If the total boron concentration exceeds equilibrium solubility, precipitation occurs concomitant to activation, even if the substitutional boron fraction is still lower than equilibrium solubility. ForT≧1000°C complete activation is obtained in times of about 10 s. In the case of preamorphized Si the activation occurs very quickly, during the recrystallization of the amorphous layer, for all the examined temperatures.