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Showing papers on "Silicon published in 2009"


Journal ArticleDOI
05 Jun 2009-Science
TL;DR: It is shown that graphene grows in a self-limiting way on copper films as large-area sheets (one square centimeter) from methane through a chemical vapor deposition process, and graphene film transfer processes to arbitrary substrates showed electron mobilities as high as 4050 square centimeters per volt per second at room temperature.
Abstract: Graphene has been attracting great interest because of its distinctive band structure and physical properties. Today, graphene is limited to small sizes because it is produced mostly by exfoliating graphite. We grew large-area graphene films of the order of centimeters on copper substrates by chemical vapor deposition using methane. The films are predominantly single-layer graphene, with a small percentage (less than 5%) of the area having few layers, and are continuous across copper surface steps and grain boundaries. The low solubility of carbon in copper appears to help make this growth process self-limiting. We also developed graphene film transfer processes to arbitrary substrates, and dual-gated field-effect transistors fabricated on silicon/silicon dioxide substrates showed electron mobilities as high as 4050 square centimeters per volt per second at room temperature.

10,663 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
01 Jan 2009-Carbon
TL;DR: In this paper, several nanometer-thick graphene oxide films were exposed to nine different heat treatments (three in Argon, three in Argon and Hydrogen, and three in ultra-high vacuum), and also a film was held at 70°C while being exposed to a vapor from hydrazine monohydrate.

2,990 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The new growth process introduced here establishes a method for the synthesis of graphene films on a technologically viable basis and produces monolayer graphene films with much larger domain sizes than previously attainable.
Abstract: Graphene, a single monolayer of graphite, has recently attracted considerable interest owing to its novel magneto-transport properties, high carrier mobility and ballistic transport up to room temperature. It has the potential for technological applications as a successor of silicon in the post Moore's law era, as a single-molecule gas sensor, in spintronics, in quantum computing or as a terahertz oscillator. For such applications, uniform ordered growth of graphene on an insulating substrate is necessary. The growth of graphene on insulating silicon carbide (SiC) surfaces by high-temperature annealing in vacuum was previously proposed to open a route for large-scale production of graphene-based devices. However, vacuum decomposition of SiC yields graphene layers with small grains (30-200 nm; refs 14-16). Here, we show that the ex situ graphitization of Si-terminated SiC(0001) in an argon atmosphere of about 1 bar produces monolayer graphene films with much larger domain sizes than previously attainable. Raman spectroscopy and Hall measurements confirm the improved quality of the films thus obtained. High electronic mobilities were found, which reach mu=2,000 cm (2) V(-1) s(-1) at T=27 K. The new growth process introduced here establishes a method for the synthesis of graphene films on a technologically viable basis.

2,493 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The capacity in a Li-ion full cell consisting of a cathode of LiCoO2 and anode of Si nanotubes demonstrates a 10 times higher capacity than commercially available graphite even after 200 cycles.
Abstract: We present Si nanotubes prepared by reductive decomposition of a silicon precursor in an alumina template and etching. These nanotubes show impressive results, which shows very high reversible charge capacity of 3247 mA h/g with Coulombic efficiency of 89%, and also demonstrate superior capacity retention even at 5C rate (=15 A/g). Furthermore, the capacity in a Li-ion full cell consisting of a cathode of LiCoO2 and anode of Si nanotubes demonstrates a 10 times higher capacity than commercially available graphite even after 200 cycles.

1,407 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It is demonstrated here that these core-shell nanowires have high charge storage capacity with approximately 90% capacity retention over 100 cycles and show excellent electrochemical performance at high rate charging and discharging.
Abstract: Silicon is an attractive alloy-type anode material for lithium ion batteries because of its highest known capacity (4200 mAh/g). However silicon’s large volume change upon lithium insertion and extraction, which causes pulverization and capacity fading, has limited its applications. Designing nanoscale hierarchical structures is a novel approach to address the issues associated with the large volume changes. In this letter, we introduce a core−shell design of silicon nanowires for highpower and long-life lithium battery electrodes. Silicon crystalline-amorphous core−shell nanowires were grown directly on stainless steel current collectors by a simple one-step synthesis. Amorphous Si shells instead of crystalline Si cores can be selected to be electrochemically active due to the difference of their lithiation potentials. Therefore, crystalline Si cores function as a stable mechanical support and an efficient electrical conducting pathway while amorphous shells store Li+ ions. We demonstrate here that these...

1,201 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A novel design of carbon-silicon core-shell nanowires for high power and long life lithium battery electrodes that shows great performance as anode material and high mass loading and area capacity, which is comparable to commercial battery values are introduced.
Abstract: We introduce a novel design of carbon−silicon core−shell nanowires for high power and long life lithium battery electrodes. Amorphous silicon was coated onto carbon nanofibers to form a core−shell structure and the resulted core−shell nanowires showed great performance as anode material. Since carbon has a much smaller capacity compared to silicon, the carbon core experiences less structural stress or damage during lithium cycling and can function as a mechanical support and an efficient electron conducting pathway. These nanowires have a high charge storage capacity of ∼2000 mAh/g and good cycling life. They also have a high Coulmbic efficiency of 90% for the first cycle and 98−99.6% for the following cycles. A full cell composed of LiCoO2 cathode and carbon−silicon core−shell nanowire anode is also demonstrated. Significantly, using these core−shell nanowires we have obtained high mass loading and an area capacity of ∼4 mAh/cm2, which is comparable to commercial battery values.

1,081 citations


Posted Content
TL;DR: In this article, the two-dimensional systems MoS2 and NbSe2 were analyzed and compared with the three-dimensional analogue of this compound, and it was shown that MoS$_2$ is a semiconductor with a gap which is rather close to that of the three dimensional analogue.
Abstract: We report on ab-initio calculations of the two-dimensional systems MoS2 and NbSe2, which recently were synthesized. We find that two-dimensional MoS$_2$ is a semiconductor with a gap which is rather close to that of the three dimensional analogue, and that NbSe$_2$ is a metal, which is similar to the three dimensional analogue of this compound. We further computed the electronic structure of the two-dimensional hexagonal (graphene like) lattices of Si and Ge, and compare them with the electronic structure of graphene. It is found that the properties related to the Dirac cone do not appear in the case of two-dimensional hexagonal germanium, which is metallic, contrary to two-dimensional hexagonal silicon, which has an electronic structure very similar to the one of graphene, making them possibly equivalent.

827 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: mW mimics the hydrogen-bonded structure of water through the introduction of a nonbond angular dependent term that encourages tetrahedral configurations, and concludes that it is not the nature of the interactions but the connectivity of the molecules that determines the structural and thermodynamic behavior of water.
Abstract: Water and silicon are chemically dissimilar substances with common physical properties. Their liquids display a temperature of maximum density, increased diffusivity on compression, and they form tetrahedral crystals and tetrahedral amorphous phases. The common feature to water, silicon, and carbon is the formation of tetrahedrally coordinated units. We exploit these similarities to develop a coarse-grained model of water (mW) that is essentially an atom with tetrahedrality intermediate between carbon and silicon. mW mimics the hydrogen-bonded structure of water through the introduction of a nonbond angular dependent term that encourages tetrahedral configurations. The model departs from the prevailing paradigm in water modeling: the use of long-ranged forces (electrostatics) to produce short-ranged (hydrogen-bonded) structure. mW has only short-range interactions yet it reproduces the energetics, density and structure of liquid water, and its anomalies and phase transitions with comparable or better accu...

816 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors summarized some of the essential aspects of silicon-nanowire growth and of their electrical properties, including the expansion of the base of epitaxially grown Si wires, a stability criterion regarding the surface tension of the catalyst droplet, and the consequences of the Gibbs-Thomson effect for the silicon wire growth velocity.
Abstract: This paper summarizes some of the essential aspects of silicon-nanowire growth and of their electrical properties. In the first part, a brief description of the different growth techniques is given, though the general focus of this work is on chemical vapor deposition of silicon nanowires. The advantages and disadvantages of the different catalyst materials for silicon-wire growth are discussed at length. Thereafter, in the second part, three thermodynamic aspects of silicon-wire growth via the vapor–liquid–solid mechanism are presented and discussed. These are the expansion of the base of epitaxially grown Si wires, a stability criterion regarding the surface tension of the catalyst droplet, and the consequences of the Gibbs–Thomson effect for the silicon wire growth velocity. The third part is dedicated to the electrical properties of silicon nanowires. First, different silicon nanowire doping techniques are discussed. Attention is then focused on the diameter dependence of dopant ionization and the influence of interface trap states on the charge carrier density in silicon nanowires. It is concluded by a section on charge carrier mobility and mobility measurements.

721 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the synthesis and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy characterization results dealing with the surface modification of silica aerogels obtained via a two-step sol-gel process where various silicon precursors and co-precursors were used.

715 citations


Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A spontaneous reaction of the lithium silicide with the electrolyte is directly observed in the in situ NMR experiments; this mechanism results in self-discharge and potential capacity loss.
Abstract: Lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) containing silicon negative electrodes have been the subject of much recent investigation because of the extremely large gravimetric and volumetric capacity of silicon. The crystalline-to-amorphous phase transition that occurs on electrochemical Li insertion into crystalline Si, during the first discharge, hinders attempts to link structure in these systems with electrochemical performance. We apply a combination of static, in situ and magic angle sample spinning, ex situ 7Li nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) studies to investigate the changes in local structure that occur in an actual working LIB. The first discharge occurs via the formation of isolated Si atoms and smaller Si−Si clusters embedded in a Li matrix; the latter are broken apart at the end of the discharge, forming isolated Si atoms. A spontaneous reaction of the lithium silicide with the electrolyte is directly observed in the in situ NMR experiments; this mechanism results in self-discharge and potential capacity...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the surface chemistry of the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formed on silicon due to the reduction of the electrolyte was investigated and the results were used to determine the optimal cycling parameters for good cycling.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, Raman and Mossbauer showed that photoanodes consisting of nanostructured hematite prepared by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD) have previously set a benchmark for solar water splitting.
Abstract: Photoanodes consisting of nanostructured hematite prepared by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD) have previously set a benchmark for solar water splitting. Here, we fully investigate this promising system by varying critical synthetic parameters and probing the photoanode performance to determine the major factors that influence operation. By varying the film thickness, we show film growth to be linear with an incubation time. We find no concern with electron transport for films up to 600 nm, but a higher recombination rate of photogenerated carriers in the hematite near the interface with the fluorine-doped tin oxide, as compared to the bulk section of the film. The mechanism for the formation of the thin film’s nanoporous dendritic structure is discussed on the basis of the results from varying the substrate growth temperate. The observed feature sizes of the film are found to depend strongly on this temperature and the presence of silicon dopant precursor (TEOS). Raman and Mossbauer...

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this paper, the use of slow light for enhancing a nonlinear optical process in a two-dimensional silicon photonic-crystal waveguide is demonstrated, highlighting yet another functionality of silicon photonics chips.
Abstract: Slow light has attracted significant interest recently as a potential solution for optical delay lines and time-domain optical signal processing1,2. Perhaps even more significant is the possibility of dramatically enhancing nonlinear optical effects3,4 due to the spatial compression of optical energy5,6,7. Two-dimensional silicon photonic-crystal waveguides have proven to be a powerful platform for realizing slow light, being compatible with on-chip integration and offering wide-bandwidth and dispersion-free propagation2. Here, we report the slow-light enhancement of a nonlinear optical process in a two-dimensional silicon photonic-crystal waveguide. We observe visible third-harmonic-generation at a wavelength of 520 nm with only a few watts of peak power, and demonstrate strong third-harmonic-generation enhancement due to the reduced group velocity of the near-infrared pump signal. This demonstrates yet another unexpected nonlinear function realized in a CMOS-compatible silicon waveguide. The use of slow light for enhancing a nonlinear optical process in a two-dimensional silicon photonic-crystal waveguide is demonstrated. More specifically, green emission by third-harmonic generation is obtained, highlighting yet another functionality of silicon photonics chips.

Journal ArticleDOI
Robert A. Street1
TL;DR: In this paper, an intense search has developed for new materials and fabrication techniques that can improve the performance, lower manufacturing cost, and enable new functionality of TFTs, including organic semiconductor, metal oxides, nanowires, printing technology as well as thin-film silicon materials with new properties.
Abstract: Thin-film transistors (TFTs) matured later than silicon integrated circuits, but in the past 15 years the technology has grown into a huge industry based on display applications, with amorphous and polycrystalline silicon as the incumbent technology. Recently, an intense search has developed for new materials and new fabrication techniques that can improve the performance, lower manufacturing cost, and enable new functionality. There are now many new options – organic semiconductor (OSCs), metal oxides, nanowires, printing technology as well as thin-film silicon materials with new properties. All of the new materials have something to offer but none is entirely without technical problems.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Silicon nanowire (SiNW)-based solar cells on glass substrates have been fabricated by wet electroless chemical etching (using silver nitrate and hydrofluoric acid) of 2.7 microm multicrystalline p(+)nn(+) doped silicon layers thereby creating the nanowires structure.
Abstract: Silicon nanowire (SiNW)-based solar cells on glass substrates have been fabricated by wet electroless chemical etching (using silver nitrate and hydrofluoric acid) of 2.7 μm multicrystalline p+nn+ doped silicon layers thereby creating the nanowire structure. Low reflectance ( 90% at 500 nm) have been measured. The highest open-circuit voltage (Voc) and short-circuit current density (Jsc) for AM1.5 illumination were 450 mV and 40 mA/cm2, respectively at a maximum power conversion efficiency of 4.4%.

Journal ArticleDOI
16 Oct 2009-Small
TL;DR: Nanoengineered silicon anodes show potential to enable a new generation of lithium ion batteries with significantly higher reversible charge capacity and longer cycle life.
Abstract: Rechargeable lithium ion batteries are integral to today's information-rich, mobile society. Currently they are one of the most popular types of battery used in portable electronics because of their high energy density and flexible design. Despite their increasing use at the present time, there is great continued commercial interest in developing new and improved electrode materials for lithium ion batteries that would lead to dramatically higher energy capacity and longer cycle life. Silicon is one of the most promising anode materials because it has the highest known theoretical charge capacity and is the second most abundant element on earth. However, silicon anodes have limited applications because of the huge volume change associated with the insertion and extraction of lithium. This causes cracking and pulverization of the anode, which leads to a loss of electrical contact and eventual fading of capacity. Nanostructured silicon anodes, as compared to the previously tested silicon film anodes, can help overcome the above issues. As arrays of silicon nanowires or nanorods, which help accommodate the volume changes, or as nanoscale compliant layers, which increase the stress resilience of silicon films, nanoengineered silicon anodes show potential to enable a new generation of lithium ion batteries with significantly higher reversible charge capacity and longer cycle life.

Journal ArticleDOI
17 Apr 2009-Science
TL;DR: Ferroelectric functionality in intimate contact with silicon is achieved by growing coherently strained strontium titanate (SrTiO3) films via oxide molecular beam epitaxy in direct contact with Silicon, with no interfacial silicon dioxide.
Abstract: Metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors, formed using silicon dioxide and silicon, have undergone four decades of staggering technological advancement. With fundamental limits to this technology close at hand, alternatives to silicon dioxide are being pursued to enable new functionality and device architectures. We achieved ferroelectric functionality in intimate contact with silicon by growing coherently strained strontium titanate (SrTiO3) films via oxide molecular beam epitaxy in direct contact with silicon, with no interfacial silicon dioxide. We observed ferroelectricity in these ultrathin SrTiO3 layers by means of piezoresponse force microscopy. Stable ferroelectric nanodomains created in SrTiO3 were observed at temperatures as high as 400 kelvin.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors fabricate and measure graded-index "black silicon" surfaces and find the underlying scaling law governing reflectance, which shows that as the density-grade depth increases, reflectance decreases exponentially with a characteristic grade depth of about 1/8 the vacuum wavelength or half the wavelength in Si.
Abstract: We fabricate and measure graded-index “black silicon” surfaces and find the underlying scaling law governing reflectance. Wet etching (100) silicon in HAuCl4, HF, and H2O2 produces Au nanoparticles that catalyze formation of a network of [100]-oriented nanopores. This network grades the near-surface optical constants and reduces reflectance to below 2% at wavelengths from 300 to 1000 nm. As the density-grade depth increases, reflectance decreases exponentially with a characteristic grade depth of about 1/8 the vacuum wavelength or half the wavelength in Si. Observation of Au nanoparticles at the ends of cylindrical nanopores confirms local catalytic action of moving Au nanoparticles.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Empitaxial graphene gets back on track towards future electronic applications by annealing silicon carbide in a dense noble gas atmosphere that controls the way in which silicon sublimates.
Abstract: Large and homogeneous layers of graphene are obtained by annealing silicon carbide in a dense noble gas atmosphere that controls the way in which silicon sublimates. Epitaxial graphene thus gets back on track towards future electronic applications.

Journal ArticleDOI
Yong Zhu1, Feng Xu1, Qingquan Qin1, Wayne Y. Fung1, Wei Lu1 
TL;DR: Repeated loading and unloading during tensile tests demonstrated that the nanowires are linear elastic until fracture without appreciable plasticity.
Abstract: The Young’s modulus and fracture strength of silicon nanowires with diameters between 15 and 60 nm and lengths between 1.5 and 4.3 μm were measured. The nanowires, grown by the vapor−liquid−solid process, were subjected to tensile tests in situ inside a scanning electron microscope. The Young’s modulus decreased while the fracture strength increased up to 12.2 GPa, as the nanowire diameter decreased. The fracture strength also increased with the decrease of the side surface area; the increase rate for the chemically synthesized silicon nanowires was found to be much higher than that for the microfabricated silicon thin films. Repeated loading and unloading during tensile tests demonstrated that the nanowires are linear elastic until fracture without appreciable plasticity.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the authors study optical effects and factors limiting performance of 16.8% efficiency black silicon solar cells, and propose universal design rules for high-efficiency solar cells based on density-graded surfaces.
Abstract: We study optical effects and factors limiting performance of our confirmed 16.8% efficiency “black silicon” solar cells. The cells incorporate density-graded nanoporous surface layers made by a one-step nanoparticle-catalyzed etch and reflect less than 3% of the solar spectrum, with no conventional antireflection coating. The cells are limited by recombination in the nanoporous layer which decreases short-wavelength spectral response. The optimum density-graded layer depth is then a compromise between reflectance reduction and recombination loss. Finally, we propose universal design rules for high-efficiency solar cells based on density-graded surfaces.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: A novel electroless etching synthesis of monolithic, single-crystalline, mesoporous silicon nanowire arrays with a high surface area and luminescent properties consistent with conventional porous silicon materials is demonstrated.
Abstract: Herein we demonstrate a novel electroless etching synthesis of monolithic, single-crystalline, mesoporous silicon nanowire arrays with a high surface area and luminescent properties consistent with conventional porous silicon materials. These porous nanowires also retain the crystallographic orientation of the wafer from which they are etched. Electron microscopy and diffraction confirm their single-crystallinity and reveal the silicon surrounding the pores is as thin as several nanometers. Confocal fluorescence microscopy showed that the photoluminescence (PL) of these arrays emanate from the nanowires themselves, and their PL spectrum suggests that these arrays may be useful as photocatalytic substrates or active components of nanoscale optoelectronic devices.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: The synthesis of vertical silicon nanowire array through a two-step metal-assisted chemical etching of highly doped n-type silicon wafers in a solution of hydrofluoric acid and hydrogen peroxide is reported.
Abstract: We report the synthesis of vertical silicon nanowire array through a two-step metal-assisted chemical etching of highly doped n-type silicon (100) wafers in a solution of hydrofluoric acid and hydrogen peroxide. The morphology of the as-grown silicon nanowires is tunable from solid nonporous nanowires, nonporous/nanoporous core/shell nanowires, to entirely nanoporous nanowires by controlling the hydrogen peroxide concentration in the etching solution. The porous silicon nanowires retain the single crystalline structure and crystallographic orientation of the starting silicon wafer and are electrically conductive and optically active with visible photoluminescence. The combination of electronic and optical properties in the porous silicon nanowires may provide a platform for novel optoelectronic devices for energy harvesting, conversion, and biosensing.

Journal ArticleDOI
27 Nov 2009-Science
TL;DR: Real-time imaging of growth kinetics reveals that a low solubility of Si and Ge in the solid particle accounts for the interfacial abruptness, and single interfaces that are defect-free and close to atomically abrupt are demonstrated.
Abstract: We have formed compositionally abrupt interfaces in silicon-germanium (Si-Ge) and Si-SiGe heterostructure nanowires by using solid aluminum-gold alloy catalyst particles rather than the conventional liquid semiconductor-metal eutectic droplets. We demonstrated single interfaces that are defect-free and close to atomically abrupt, as well as quantum dots (i.e., Ge layers tens of atomic planes thick) embedded within Si wires. Real-time imaging of growth kinetics reveals that a low solubility of Si and Ge in the solid particle accounts for the interfacial abruptness. Solid catalysts that can form functional group IV nanowire-based structures may yield an extended range of electronic applications.

Proceedings ArticleDOI
01 Dec 2009
TL;DR: In this article, undoped-body, gate-all-around (GAA) Si nanowire (NW) MOSFETs with excellent electrostatic scaling were demonstrated.
Abstract: We demonstrate undoped-body, gate-all-around (GAA) Si nanowire (NW) MOSFETs with excellent electrostatic scaling. These NW devices, with a TaN/Hf-based gate stack, have high drive-current performance with NFET/PFET I DSAT = 825/950 µA/µm (circumference-normalized) or 2592/2985 µA/µm (diameter-normalized) at supply voltage V DD = 1 V and off-current I OFF = 15 nA/µm. Superior NW uniformity is obtained through the use of a combined hydrogen annealing and oxidation process. Clear scaling of short-channel effects versus NW size is observed.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the structural transformation of silicon nanowires when cycled against lithium was evaluated using electrochemical potential spectroscopy and galvanostatic cycling, and it was shown that limiting the voltage in the charge to 70 mV results in improved efficiency and cyclability compared to charging to 10 mV.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the optical spectra of annealed glass and silicon nanoparticles were used to evaluate the effect of surface plasmon resonance on the cell reflectance and spectral response, both positively and negatively.

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: In this article, the nonlinear thermal stresses and strains at the interfaces between the copper, silicon, and dielectric have been determined for a wide-range of aspect ratios (of the silicon thickness and the TSV diameter).
Abstract: Most TSVs are filled with copper; siliconpoly and tungsten are the alternatives. The coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of copper (~17.5 times 10-6/degC) is a few times higher than that of silicon (~2.5 times10-6/degC). Thus, when the copper filled through silicon via (TSV) is subjected to temperature loadings, there is a very large local thermal expansion mismatch between the copper and the silicon/dielectric (e.g., SiO2), which will create very large stresses and strains at the interfaces between the copper and the silicon and between the copper and the dielectric. These stresses/strains can be high enough to introduce delamination between the interfaces. In this paper, the nonlinear thermal stresses and strains at the interfaces between the copper, silicon, and dielectric have been determined for a wide-range of aspect ratios (of the silicon thickness and the TSV diameter). One of the major applications of TSV is as an interposer. Because of Moore's (scaling/integration) law, the silicon chip is getting bigger, the pin-out is getting higher, and the pitch is getting finer. Thus, the conventional substrates, e.g., BT (bismaleimide triazine) cannot support these kinds of silicon chips anymore and a silicon interposer (substrate) is needed to redistribute the very fine-pitch and high pin-count pads on the chip to much larger pitch and less pin-count through the silicon vias on the silicon substrate. Depending on the via-size and pitch of the copper filled TSV, the effective CTE of the copper filled TSV interposer could be as high as 10 times 10-6/degC. Consequently, the global thermal expansion mismatch between the silicon chip and the copper filled TSV substrate can be very large and the bumps (usually very small, e.g., microbumps) between them may not be able to survive under thermal conditions. In this study, the nonlinear stresses and strains in the microbumps between the silicon chip and copper filled TSV interposer (with and without underfills) have been determined for a wide-range of via sizes and pitches, and various temperature conditions. These results should be useful for 1) making a decision if underfill is necessary for the reliability of microbumps and 2) selecting underfill materials to minimize the stresses and strains in the microbumps.

Journal ArticleDOI
27 Feb 2009
TL;DR: The 3-D microprocessor test chip,3-D memorytest chip, 3- D image sensor chip, and 3-Ds artificial retina chip were successfully fabricated by using poly-Si TSV and tungsten (W/poly-Si) TSV technology.
Abstract: High density through silicon via (TSV) is a key in fabricating three-dimensional (3-D) large-scale integration (LSI). We have developed polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) TSV technology and tungsten (W)/poly-Si TSV technology for 3-D integration. In the poly-Si TSV formation, low-pressure chemical vapor deposition poly-Si heavily doped with phosphorus was conformally deposited into the narrow and deep trench formed in a Si substrate after the surface of Si trench was thermally oxidized. In the W/poly-Si TSV formation, tungsten was deposited into the Si trench by atomic layer deposition method after the poly-Si deposition, where poly-Si was used as a liner layer for W deposition. The 3-D microprocessor test chip, 3-D memory test chip, 3-D image sensor chip, and 3-D artificial retina chip were successfully fabricated by using poly-Si TSV.