Silicon epitaxy
Nocilis Materials offer you Advanced Silicon Epitaxy service.
Epitaxy services:
The growth technique is RPCVD and the epi-layers are provided on 4-, 6- and 8-inch substrates with the following descriptions:
* P-, As- and B-doped Si and SiGeSnC layers (doping level of 1015-1019 cm-3 in Si but for Si alloys depends on the material design)
* Selective epitaxy of doped and undoped SiGeC layers on patterned substrates
* Multilayer structures (superlattices) of Si-or Ge-based materials
* Ge (unstrained) on Si
* Compressive and tensile strained SiGe layers
* Strained Si on relaxed SiGe layers
* Tensile strained Ge layers (on-going)
Further services can be provided for material characterization of epitaxial films:
* High-resolution scanning electron microscopy (HRSEM). Planar and cross-sectional view
* High-resolution x-ray diffraction (HRXRD):
Reciprocal lattice mapping (RLM), grazing angle measurement, strain measurement and layer profile over the substrate area. These analyses will provide the interfacial roughness, composition, strain amount (in-plane and perpendicular to the plane).
Infra-red detectors:
The IR bands of interest are part of electromagnetic waves spectrum with wavelengths of 3-5 μm and 8-14 μm. The 8-14 μm band is the most interesting range for imaging which is attractive for both civil and military applications. This range of wavelengths can be detected by absorption of photon or phonons (thermal reaction) in a sensing material. The detectors which function with photonic principles a cryo-cooling is necessary to avoid the phonon scattering which is the main source for the dark image. This makes these detectors heavy, expensive and inconvenient to use whereas the thermal detectors which respond to the heat absorption requires no cooling. There are basically three types of uncooled IR detector: microbolometer, pyroelectric and thermopiles. For imaging application microbolometer detectors were chosen due to the fact that their responsivity is much higher than that of thermopile detectors, and they are generally easier to fabricate than pyroelectric detector.
Nocilis Materials AB works on uncooled IR thermal detection technology with focus on group IV-based bolometers. Compatibility of these bolometers with Si processing technology is the first requirement for a mass production.
Thermoelectric material:
Historically, Bizmut-, Tellurid-, Selenid-,Cesium- and Pb-based material have shown state-of-the-art performance for thermoelectic applications, however, all these are classified environmental hostile material.
Nocilis Materials AB proposes group IV-based alloys as thermoelectric materials to recycle the thermal energy which is wasted by millions of cars, airplanes and factories around the world. The framework of the project is based on using low cost Si technology which is environmental friendly and a high mass volume production is in fact feasible. The main goals are addressed as following:
I. Saving the fuel consumption for the vehicles,
II. Proposing an alternative technique to solar cells when the sun light is missing (during nights)
Our primarily focus is on Swedish car industry and other traditional industries such as metal industry. This goal is planned to be extended in near future to a larger market and to enter energy harvesting products for Nordic countries where our designed chips are functioning during winters when the sun light is not available. We are also exploring other niches for our proposed product, such as space technology for satellites and spacecrafts when the solar energy is not always available.