Characterization was performed on the application of atomic layer deposition (ALD) of hafnium dioxide (HfO2) and aluminum oxide (Al2O3), and plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) of silicon nitride (Si3N4) as metal–insulator–metal (MIM) capacitor dielectric for GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) technology. The results show that the MIM capacitor with 62 nm of ALD HfO2 res...

A highly selective dry etching process for the removal of silicon nitride ~Si3N4) layers from silicon and silicon dioxide (SiO2) is described and its mechanism examined. This new process employs a remote O2 /N2 discharge with much smaller flows of CF4 or NF3 as a fluorine source as compared to conventional Si3N4 removal processes. Etch rates of Si3N4 of more than 30 nm/min were achieved for CF4...

The degradation of 100 nm effective channel length pMOS transistors with 14 A equivalent oxide thickness JVD Si3N4 gate dielectric under hot-carrier stress is studied. Interface-state generation is identified as the dominant degradation mechanism. Hot-carrier-induced gate leakage may become a new reliability concem. Hot-carrier reliability of 14 A Si3N4 transistors is compared to reliability of...

In this study, the integrated Taguchi-simulated annealing (SA) approach is applied to examine the wear behaviour of silicon nitride (Si3N4)hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). Wear tests for Si3N4-hBN composite versus steel (ASTM 316L) disc were carried out for a dry sliding conditions in a so-called pin-on-disc arrangement. The tests were realized at % volume of hBN 0, 4, 8, 12, 16 in Si3N4 under th...

Transparent polycrystalline ceramics exhibit improved mechanical and optical properties. However, synthesizing transparent without additives is nontrivial. Herein, we report the synthesis of two (β-Si3N4 γ-Si3N4) under high pressure temperature from a pure Si3N4 precursor with nano-/micro-dual grain sizes. Synthesized β-Si3N4 exhibited significantly enhanced Vickers hardness reaching 24.2 GPa (...

The objective of this work is to evaluate the potential of microwave techniques for detecting, classifying, and determining the dimensions of inclusions and surface cracks in structural ceramics such as Si3N4. Experimental results that show the feasibility of detecting various types of inclusions and voids in Si3N4 have been obtained, and these results are reviewed. In addition, the question of...

In this paper, RF MEMS Capacitive Switches for two different dielectrics hafnium oxide (HfO2) and silicon nitride (Si3N4) are presented. The switches have been characterized and compared in terms of RF performance. The major impact of the change from Si3N4 to HfO2 having dielectric constant 20 is the reduction in overall dimension of the switch; capacitive area is reduced by 66% leading to over...

InGaAsP/InP multiple quantum wells with quantum well intermixing (QWI) have been prepared by Impurity-Free Vacancy Disordering (IFVD). The luminescent characteristics were investigated using photoluminescence (PL) and photoreflectance (PR), from which the band gap blueshift was observed. Si3N4, SiO2 and SOG (spin on glass) were used for the dielectric layer to enhance intermixing from the outdi...

Poor thermal shock and resistance to crack propagation have had a negative influence on the acceptance of ceramics for components in air breathing engine applications. In comparison with their metallic counterparts, they are less predictable and there is limited historical in-use data available. They have therefore been considered primarily for non-load bearing applications such as flaps and se...

In the past few decades, gate insulators with a high dielectric constant (high-k dielectric) enabling a physically thick but dielectrically thin insulating layer, have been used to replace traditional SiOx insulator and to ensure continuous downscaling of Si-based transistor technology. However, due to the non-silicon derivative natures of the high-k metal oxides, transport properties in these ...