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Facilities
For more
information, contact:
Dr. Michael Shur,
Director
(518) 276-2201
shurm@rpi.edu
Fabrication Facilities
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Rensselaer supports the Microelectronics
Clean Room facility that is used to fabricate silicon and compound
semiconductor structures, devices, and circuits with submicron feature
sizes. Baseline silicon processes for NMOS and CMOS are utilized on a
regular basis as the vehicles for Microelectronic Manufacturing
Laboratory courses, and to provide researchers with the capability of
materials research within existing integrated processes. Special
emphasis is given to processes for novel planarization and
metallization as used with multi-level metal systems for both chip and
packaging module fabrication.
The Microfabrication facility is
equipped with tools that can handle 3", 5", and 8”
wafers. Many tools have also been modified to
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Microelectronics Clean Room facility
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enable the processing of non-standard substrate sizes and shapes
commonly found in compound semiconductor research applications. The
equipment base is comparable with an industrial semiconductor fabrication
operation. A comprehensive capability for measurement and
characterization of devices, circuits and materials is available within
the Clean Room environment. Extended capability exists within affiliated
laboratories at RPI for characterization and analysis.
Photoluminescence
facilities
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The photoluminescence (facility is grouped into two set-ups. All
the optics is designed to work into UV region up to 200 nm. The first
set-up is for measurement of spontaneous and stimulated emission under
CW photoexcitation. The CW source generates 20 mW in single mode at 325 nm. Quantel
Q-switched Nd:YAG laser with harmonic converters up to the fifth.
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Dynamic Grating Setup
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Pulse duration (FWHM) of the laser at 1064 nm is
4.4 ns, repetition rate is 10 Hz.
The sample temperature could be varied from 8 K to 600 K. The
second set-up is based on a picosecond Nd:YAG laser and is equipped with
a streak camera for time-resolved measurements and with the unit HOLO-2
to perform experiments based on Light-Induced Transient Gratings (LITG). The harmonics of the main laser may be
used to pump an Optical Parametric Generator PG401 /SH with internal
frequency doubling to ensure continuous tunability of output wavelength
down to 200 nm into UV region. Data analysis software packages are also
available.
Terahertz and
Sub-Terahertz Characterization
The terahertz characterization setup uses 200
GHz and 600 GHz radiation systems based on a 100 GHz Gunn diode with a
frequency doubler (for the 200 GHz system) or doubler and tripler (for
the 600 GHz system). The maximum output power was about 3 mW for the 200
GHz system and 0.3 mW for the 600 GHz system, respectively. In addition
to the main frequencies (200GHz and 600GHz) the system also emitted
higher harmonics at 800 GHz, 1THz, and 1.2THz. The relative power of the
higher harmonics depends on the Gunn diode and on the doubler and the
tripler adjustments. It could reach a few percent of the power emitted at
the main frequencies. Bruker FTIR (IFS 66 V/S) vacuum spectrometer whose
spectral range is expanded from far-IR (FIR) to the near-UV. The
evacuated optics and purge system make the IFS 66 V/S ideal for FIR
measurements (Eliminate Water and CO2 bands from measured spectrum). Our
IFS 66 V/S equipped with an ultra-low temperature bolometer, which has
the working temperature lower than 1.7 K. Spectrum range: 12000 cm-1 to 5
cm-1. signal to noise ratio: 10000:1 (mid-IR) in 5 second test, high
resolution: 0.1 cm-1 (about 30 GHz). This system is used to measure THz
emission.
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Terahertz characterization setup
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Bruker FTIR Spectrometer
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Acousto-Optic facilities
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The acousto-optic facility allows for
excitation and characterization of surface and bulk acoustic waves in
the time and frequency domains. The RF oscillator/receiver (Matec Inc.
Model 7700) provides high power (up to several hundreds watts)
microsecond RF pulses in the range from 90 to 1050 MHz, and the high
sensitivity (receiver gain is 110 dB) tuned signal reception. The
Agilent 4396B Network/Spectrum/Impedance Analyzer provides full-vector
network and spectrum measurement and analysis in the range from 100 kHz
to 1.8 GHz.
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Acousto-optic setup
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The optical part of the set-up is adapted to work with guided optical
waves propagating in thin surface layers. The He Ne (JDS Uniphase 1125P,
5 mW) and He Cd (Liconix 4210N, 10 mW) lasers serve as CW optical sources
at 633 nm and 442 nm, respectively. The Hamamatsu PMT module
HC141-H6780-01 and Oriel Instruments InstaSpec IV CCD System 78451 are
used as optical receivers for the signal characterization in time and
space, respectively. The oscilloscope Tektronix TDS 3054 allows direct
observation of RF signals with frequencies up to 500 MHz.
Low frequency noise system
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Our low frequency noise measurement setup
includes Stanford Research System
Network Analyzer, EG&G Instruments Pre-Amplifier, Micro Manipulator Probe Station, and a
low noise bias circuit. The noise can be measured both on the
wafers using the probe station and on packaged devices. The probe
station is placed on the vibration isolated optical table.
Micromanipulator probe station is placed in a metal box for
electromagnetic and light isolation. The measured noise floor is around
-165 dBVrms/Hz in the
frequency range from 1 Hz to 50 kHz.
(DC current voltage characteristics and impedance within the
frequency range 5Hz – 13 MHz can be measured in the same experimental
area.)
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Low frequency noise measurement setup
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Computer resources
and Remote Experimentation
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We have all required computer resources
and device modeling commercial and custom software, including ATLAS,
Medici, Poisson-Schrödinger equation solvers, ISE simulation package, Monte
Carlo simulation packages (including our own validated 2D
self-consistent Monte Carlo Boltzmann equation solver), AIM-Spice
package for the simulation of advanced devices, including unique
optoelectronic and self-heating models, and automatic parameter
extractor. Our group
co-developed AIM-Spice that has estimated 50,000 world wide. We also
assembled a large database of semiconductor materials parameters
partially available at our web page and partially
published in three handbooks of semiconductor parameters. We are installing
a supercomputer cluster (funded IBM SUR grant valued over $600,000) and
several workstations. We have operational Remote Laboratory on the WEB (patent pending)
that allow for performing remote experimentation on the WEB and
co-edited a book describing different approaches to remote
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Microwave
Characterization Facility
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Two high-temperature probes with
ground‑signal‑ground configuration and 150 mm contact spacing are used to contact transistors on-waver. For
the on-waver calibration, a substrate CS-5 from GGB Industries with a full‑two‑port‑LRM
(line-reflect-match) technique is utilized. A noise source MT7618E
from Maury Microwave can be switched between two noise
temperatures by a noise figure meter Maury MT2075C. The direct input
tuning range of the noise figure meter is limited to frequencies below
2.047 GHz. The microwave setup is designed for frequencies up to
18 GHz.
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Microwave setup
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Related facilities
Other facilities include automated of I-V and C-V measurement
systems. We also have materials characterization facilities,
including Hall, SEM, TEM, and X-ray characterization
facilities. We are routinely using national characterization facility for
magneto transport measurements up to 30 T at temperatures down to mK.
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