Silicon Materials

Si is the key material for IC manufacturing. This chapter demonstrates the basic requirements of Si materials for ICs, from the raw polycrystalline Si to Si epitaxial film. The control of impurities and defects during the crystal growth is the most important topic, which gives a serious impact on the performance and quality of Si materials. Meanwhile, the fabrication methods of other important Si materials, including amorphous Si thin film, nano-Si, and Si-on-insulator, are also addressed, which are used in various semiconductor devices. Moreover, the new materials integrated with Si substrate, like SiGe film, strained Si film, carbon nanotubes, graphene, and light-emitting materials, are illustrated, and they represent the future trend of IC materials.