9525907 Aziz This research project aims for fundamental understanding of solid phase processes related to nucleation and epitaxial growth, and pursues this goal using a high pressure methodology for studying atomic diffusion in semiconductors and the effects of non-hydrostatic stresses on solid phase epitaxial growth processes. The theme of the research is to use high pressure as a thermodynamic parameter in order to obtain information on the activation volume of crystal growth or diffusion processes. The basic approach is to measure a growth rate or impurity diffusion rate as a function of pressure and to use this information to obtain the activation volume for the process. The magnitude and sign of the activation volume provide constraints on the physical models used to describe growth or diffusion processes. %%% The primary goal of this research project is to establish greater basic understanding of particular phenomena relevant to thin film synthesis and processing of two key electronic materials, silicon and germanium, and to relate this understanding to the development of advanced microelectronics devices through modifications in processing methods. Additionally, an important feature of the program is the training of graduate and undergraduate students in a fundamentally and technologically significant area. The knowledge and understanding gained from this research project is expected to contribute generally to improving the performance of advanced devices used in computing, information processing, and telecommunications. ***
