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- Title
- INVESTIGATION OF REACTIVELY SPUTTERED SILICON CARBON BORON NITRIDE (SICBN) THIN FILMS FOR HIGH TEMPERATURE APPLICATIONS.
- Creator
-
Vijayakumar, Arun, Sundaram, Kalpathy, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
-
The increasing demand for efficient energy systems in the last decade has brought about the development of advanced sensor systems that utilize advance detection methods to help in preventive maintenance of these essential systems. These usually are needed in hard to access environments where conditions are extreme and unfit for human interaction. Thin film based sensors deposited directly on the surfaces exposed to harsh environments can serve as ideal means of measuring the temperature of...
Show moreThe increasing demand for efficient energy systems in the last decade has brought about the development of advanced sensor systems that utilize advance detection methods to help in preventive maintenance of these essential systems. These usually are needed in hard to access environments where conditions are extreme and unfit for human interaction. Thin film based sensors deposited directly on the surfaces exposed to harsh environments can serve as ideal means of measuring the temperature of the component during operation. They provide the basic advantage of proximity to the surface and hence accurate measurement of the surface temperature. The low mass size ratio provides the additional advantage of least interference to system operation. The four elements consisting of Si, C, B, and N can be used to form binary, ternary and quaternary compounds like carbides, nitrides, which are chemically and thermally stable with extreme hardness, thermal conductivity and can be doped n- and p-type. Hence these compounds can be potential candidates for high temperature applications. This research is focused on studying sputtering as a candidate to obtain thin SiCBN films. The deposition and characterization of amorphous thin films of silicon boron carbon nitride (SiCBN) is reported. The SiCBN thin films were deposited in a radio frequency (rf) magnetron sputtering system using reactive co-sputtering of silicon carbide (SiC) and boron nitride (BN) targets. Films of different compositions were deposited by varying the ratios of argon and nitrogen gas in the sputtering ambient. Investigation of the oxidation kinetics of these materials was performed to study high temperature compatibility of the material. Surface characterization of the deposited films was performed using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and optical profilometry. Studies reveal that the chemical state of the films is highly sensitive to nitrogen flow ratios during sputtering. Surface analysis shows that smooth and uniform SiCBN films can be produced using this technique. Carbon and nitrogen content in the films seem to be sensitive to annealing temperatures. However depth profile studies reveal certain stoichiometric compositions to be stable after high temperature anneal up to 900ºC. Electrical and optical characteristics are also investigated with interesting results. Finally a metal semiconductor metal structure based optoelectronic device is demonstrated with excellent performance improvement over standard silicon based devices under higher temperature conditions.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2007
- Identifier
- CFE0001914, ucf:47490
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0001914
- Title
- Design and Characterization of High Temperature Packaging for Wide-Bandgap Semiconductor Devices.
- Creator
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Grummel, Brian, Shen, Zheng, Sundaram, Kalpathy, Yuan, Jiann-Shiun, University of Central Florida
- Abstract / Description
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Advances in wide-bandgap semiconductor devices have increased the allowable operating temperature of power electronic systems. High-temperature devices can benefit applications such as renewable energy, electric vehicles, and space-based power electronics that currently require bulky cooling systems for silicon power devices. Cooling systems can typically be reduced in size or removed by adopting wide-bandgap semiconductor devices, such as silicon carbide. However, to do this, semiconductor...
Show moreAdvances in wide-bandgap semiconductor devices have increased the allowable operating temperature of power electronic systems. High-temperature devices can benefit applications such as renewable energy, electric vehicles, and space-based power electronics that currently require bulky cooling systems for silicon power devices. Cooling systems can typically be reduced in size or removed by adopting wide-bandgap semiconductor devices, such as silicon carbide. However, to do this, semiconductor device packaging with high reliability at high temperatures is necessary. Transient liquid phase (TLP) die-attach has shown in literature to be a promising bonding technique for this packaging need. In this work TLP has been comprehensively investigated and characterized to assess its viability for high-temperature power electronics applications. The reliability and durability of TLP die-attach was extensively investigated utilizing electrical resistivity measurement as an indicator of material diffusion in gold-indium TLP samples. Criteria of ensuring diffusive stability were also developed. Samples were fabricated by material deposition on glass substrates with variant Au(-)In compositions but identical barrier layers. They were stressed with thermal cycling to simulate their operating conditions then characterized and compared. Excess indium content in the die-attach was shown to have poor reliability due to material diffusion through barrier layers while samples containing suitable indium content proved reliable throughout the thermal cycling process. This was confirmed by electrical resistivity measurement, EDS, FIB, and SEM characterization. Thermal and mechanical characterization of TLP die-attached samples was also performed to gain a newfound understanding of the relationship between TLP design parameters and die-attach properties. Samples with a SiC diode chip TLP bonded to a copper metalized silicon nitride substrate were made using several different values of fabrication parameters such as gold and indium thickness, Au(-)In ratio, and bonding pressure. The TLP bonds were then characterized for die-attach voiding, shear strength, and thermal impedance. It was found that TLP die-attach offers high average shear force strength of 22.0 kgf and a low average thermal impedance of 0.35 K/W from the device junction to the substrate. The influence of various fabrication parameters on the bond characteristics were also compared, providing information necessary for implementing TLP die-attach into power electronic modules for high-temperature applications. The outcome of the investigation on TLP bonding techniques was incorporated into a new power module design utilizing TLP bonding. A full half-bridge inverter power module for low-power space applications has been designed and analyzed with extensive finite element thermo-mechanical modeling. In summary, TLP die-attach has investigated to confirm its reliability and to understand how to design effective TLP bonds, this information has been used to design a new high-temperature power electronic module.
Show less - Date Issued
- 2012
- Identifier
- CFE0004499, ucf:49276
- Format
- Document (PDF)
- PURL
- http://purl.flvc.org/ucf/fd/CFE0004499