Heterogeneous epitaxy of semiconductors targeting the post-Moore era

A probe squad led by Prof. Liu Zhiqiang from the Institute of Semiconductors of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, successful practice with the squad led by Prof. Gao Peng from Peking University and the squad led by Prof. Liu Zhongfan from Beijing Graphene Institute (BGI), precocious realized the conception of "heterogeneous epitaxy" via a van der Walls strategy, a benignant of nonsymmetrical epitaxy process.

The researchers confirmed the feasibility of nitride epitaxy not constricted by the substrate lattice and provided a caller thought for the heterogeneous integration of semiconductor materials.

By proposing a nanorod-assisted van der Waals epitaxy technology, they achieved continuous and level astir single-crystalline nitride films connected an amorphous solid substrate.

After decades of development, the semiconductor manufacture has entered the "post-Moore era." "Beyond Moore's Law" has ushered successful a climax. The improvement of the semiconductor industry successful the aboriginal needs to leap retired of the archetypal model and question caller paths.

Faced with these opportunities and challenges, the mentation of basal materials specified arsenic wide band-gap semiconductor materials is besides gestating breakthroughs. New materials, caller processes, and heterogeneous integration volition go perchance disruptive technologies successful the post-Moore era.

In this study, the researchers utilized graphene to recognize aligned nitride nucleation islands, which inherited crystallinity from the graphene lattice. Then the nitride nucleation islands absorbed adatoms connected the graphene aboveground and evolved into nanorods. Next, nanorods acted arsenic a bully template for lattice mismatch alleviation and consequent coalescence. Thus a creaseless nitride movie was formed.

According to the researchers, graphene efficaciously guides the predisposition of nitrides, portion the designed nanorod template further narrows down the in-plane alignment to 3 ascendant configurations.

"The in-plane ascendant orientations are intelligibly exhibited by atomic solution high-resolution transmission electron microscopy images astatine graphene boundaries, which is accordant with density functional mentation calculation," said Prof. Liu Zhiqiang, corresponding writer of the research.

This enactment not lone experimentally validates the maturation of crystalline nitrides connected amorphous substrates, but besides provides a promising way to the monolithic integration of semiconductors for precocious electronics and photonics.

This method is besides suitable for the mentation of precocious Indium constituent nitride materials. It proposes a cosmopolitan method for improving the incorporation of Indium successful III-nitrides, which opens up caller ideas for the aboriginal exertion of nitrides successful the tract of caller and multifunctional devices.

This probe was published online successful Science Advances connected July 31 successful an nonfiction entitled "Van der Waals Epitaxy of Nearly Single-Crystalline Nitride Films connected Amorphous Graphene-Glass Wafer."

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