SIR Chemistry Investigation Abstract
AN INTRODUCTION TO SIMPLE TRANSISTOR FABRICATION CLEANING AND OXIDATION OF SILICON
Presenter:
Jennifer M. Jones, Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy, 1500 West Sullivan Road, Aurora, IL, 60506
Mentors:
Dr. Christos Takoudis, University of Illinois at Chicago
Mrs. Deepthi Jopireddy, University of Illinois at Chicago
Abstract:
Ever since Bardeen and Brattain invented the transistor in 1950, the electronics industry has been rapidly evolving to make everyday electronics, such as cell phones and computers, cheaper, more efficient, and smaller. With the size of the transistors continuously being reduced to meet the increasing demand of miniaturization, the conventional manufacturing processes are reaching their limit. As a result, scientists have been looking into alternatives to transistors, such as nanowires. We investigated the established process of production of a simple transistor, more specifically; we looked into the oxidation of the silicon wafer to form silicon dioxide. The silicon dioxide layer acts as an insulator and is an important component of the transistor. The thickness of the oxide layer formed was characterized by changing the oxidation temperature and duration. We also observed and used some atomic-scale equipment used by scientists to make transistors, such as the atomic force microscope; more significantly, an ellipsometer was used to measure the thickness of silicon dioxide layers at the nanometer length scale.