This Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) grant supports the acquisition of an inductively coupled plasma (ICP) etcher at the University of New Mexico's Center for High Technology Materials (CHTM). The ICP allows for the etching of precise patterns, with dimensions ranging from microns to nanometers, on a wide variety of semiconductors. The ability to etch such patterns on semiconductors is key to the realization of advanced semiconductor devices. Photonic devices are an important class of such devices; these include high efficiency solar cells, light-emitting diodes, laser diodes and thermal/night vision sensors. The ICP etcher will be operated within a multi-user cleanroom facility that has a demonstrated track record of research excellence, openness and inclusion. The tool will also play a critical role in the education of undergraduate and graduate students in advanced semiconductor processing technology. The University of New Mexico is a Hispanic Serving Institution and hence a significant numbers of students from underrepresented groups will benefit from this capability. The ICP will also be used in existing NSF Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) and NSF Research Experience for Teachers (RET) programs based at UNM.
The ICP etcher will be able to etch a wide range of III-V semiconductors, including nitrides, phosphides, arsenides and antimonides. Etching can be done controllably and reproducibly by enabling separate optimization of the ion energy, plasma density, and process temperature up to approximately 200 degrees Celsius. The ICP will include a variety of process gases such as SF6, BCL3, He, CH4, H2, Ar, O2, and SiCl4 to offer a broad range of etching capabilities. The innovative research that will be immediately impacted includes: antimonide-based photovoltaic and thermophotovoltaic cells, next generation lithography processing, GaN based light-emitting diodes, laser diodes, power electronics, ultra-high-speed injection-locked InP-based ring lasers, and mid-wave to long-wave focal plane arrays manufactured from quantum dots and strain-layer antimonide superlattices. Also, three NSF Engineering Research Centers (ERCs), namely the Smart Lighting ERC, the ERC for Quantum Energy and Sustainable Solar Technologies (QESST) and the Nanosystems ERC (NERC) for Nanomanufacturing Systems for Mobile Computing and Energy Technologies (NASCENT), will directly benefit from this grant and availability of the ICP etcher.
