Development of Ultrafine 'Semiconductor Device' Manufacturing Technology Captivates Global Attention... Domestic and International Joint Researchers Achieve Breakthrough

UNIST and University of Minnesota Develop Ultra-Fine Semiconductor Electrode Patterns Using Atomic Layer Deposition

Successful Fabrication of 10-Nanometer Channel Semiconductor Devices ... Alternative Technology and Applications for Silicon Semicon

Process of Fabricating Ultra-Fine Semiconductor Electrode Structures and Research on Two-Dimensional Device Fabrication. [Image Source=UNIST]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] A technology capable of manufacturing ultra-fine channel semiconductor devices has emerged from a domestic and international joint research, attracting global attention.

Inside a semiconductor chip the size of a fingernail, there are up to billions of micro devices (transistors, diodes). These micro devices exist in the form of patterns drawn within multiple layers of materials.

To manufacture these patterns, a process that draws shapes using beams (light) is required. Recently, an international joint research team succeeded in developing an ultra-fine pattern manufacturing technology that does not require expensive beam processes.

Professor Namgung Seon of the Department of Physics at Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST, President Lee Yong-hoon) and researchers from the University of Minnesota developed a technology that enables semiconductor pattern manufacturing using only the ‘atomic layer deposition’ process, which involves repeatedly coating materials thinly.

This method is simpler and cheaper than beam-based technology, and the channel width (distance between electrodes) can be changed at the nanometer scale by adjusting the number of atomic layers deposited.

It is also known to be very advantageous for producing new-concept semiconductor devices using two-dimensional semiconductor materials instead of silicon.

Study on the Performance of Optical Detection Devices Using Ultrafine Semiconductor Pattern Structures. Image source: UNIST

Using this technology, the research team fabricated ultra-fine ‘semiconductor electrodes’ with channels below 10 nm (nanometers, 10^-9 m) and two-dimensional semiconductor devices (transistors).

By depositing metal (electrode) - insulator - metal (electrode) sequentially on a substrate to create a nano gap pattern, and then peeling it off and flipping it, an electrode pattern is completed with the distance between electrodes separated by the thickness of the insulating layer.

Since the electrode surface was separated directly from the substrate, it has the advantage of being very smooth. This makes it suitable for stacking two-dimensional semiconductor materials (such as molybdenum disulfide, black phosphorus) on the electrodes to create devices.

The research team also applied this to a transistor-based photodetector. The strong electric field between the ultra-fine transistor electrodes effectively separated charge carriers generated by light, improving detection performance.

Photodetectors are devices that detect light in the form of current (charge carriers) and are essential for ultra-high-speed optical communication, among other applications.

Professor Namgung Seon, UNIST.

First author Professor Namgung said, “This technology utilizes the existing semiconductor process technology of atomic layer deposition to mass-produce uniform nanometer-scale electrode structures,” adding, “It is expected to contribute to semiconductor structure miniaturization, ultra-compact optical communication modules, and the development of optical semiconductor chips.”

This research was published online on February 24 in ACS Nano, a prestigious journal in the fields of nanotechnology and materials science, and is scheduled for formal publication.

The research was conducted through the Basic Science Research Program in Science and Engineering funded by the National Research Foundation of Korea and the UNIST New Faculty Settlement Project.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.