Growth and characterization of single crystal insulators on silicon

Abstract

Epitaxial insulators have a number of potential applications in the semiconductor industry. These include semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) structures, three-dimensional (3-D) and/or high-density integrated circuits, improved gate insulators, and optoelectronic applications such as integrated wave guides. Because of the potential for such applications, there are a number of approaches to epitaxial insulators that are being pursued at different laboratories. Much of this activity has centered on the growth of epitaxial Group-I1 fluorides by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). However, alternatives such as vapor phase epitaxy (VPE) of spinel are also being pursued. In any case, the mechanisms for good heteroepitaxy must be understood in order to grow good material. Applications in the semiconductor industry will also require that the electrical properties, such as dielectric breakdown, current transport across the interface, and current transport along the interface, be understood. These topics are reviewed in this paper.