This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
The PI is planning an experimental research program to investigate the growth of epitaxial crystalline oxide layers on semiconductor substrates by atomic layer deposition. Crystalline oxides are an important class of materials that exhibit a rich variety of functional electronic, magnetic, and optical properties, including ferroelectricity, pyroelectricity, piezoelectricity, and ferromagnetism. In addition, oxides can be doped like elemental and compound semiconductors and they can be insulating, conducting, semiconducting, and superconducting. In order to realize the full promise of crystalline oxides, it is necessary to advance the growth engineering, and integrate oxides with semiconductor substrates to make hybrid semiconductor/ crystalline oxide devices. The PI's process is based on the unique properties of the alkaline earth metal oxides and the precision of atomic layer deposition to grow epitaxial oxides on semiconductor substrates including Si, Ge, and GaAs. The process has several advantages over the existing state-of-the-art that is based on molecular beam epitaxy. These advantages include process economics including increased throughput, and lower capital and operating costs, as well as simplifications of the processing due to unique aspects of the atomic layer deposition chemistry. Successful execution of the research program will lead to transformative impacts on the field of electronic materials by enabling a new class of devices based on oxide electronics, and stimulating industrial interest.
The intellectual merits of the research are to discover a reactive process based on fundamental chemical interactions and atomic layer deposition to grow epitaxial oxides on semiconductor substrates. The research could advance the knowledge of deposition processes, surface reactions, and materials engineering. It utilizes state-of-the-art concepts in electronic materials and advances the capability for engineering a useful class of materials. The research will also advance understanding of the chemical and structural interactions at semiconductor/ oxide interfaces, which are of interest to modern microelectronics technology.
The broader impacts of the research include technology advancement, K-12 education enhancement, and outreach to underrepresented groups. The PI plans an outreach program that will impact high school teachers, high school students, and underrepresented and underprivileged student populations. He will develop a workshop based on microelectronics for the da Vinci program at UConn to provide an inspirational and learning experience for high school teachers from diverse backgrounds. The program will reach out to the Magnet schools of Hartford to promote the underutilized talents of inner city teachers and students. The work will also educate a PhD graduate student and provide research experiences for undergraduate students. Lastly, the work will be integrated into teaching as an educational vehicle for Chemical Engineering and Materials Science students.
