Technology & Manufacturing

Technology stands above all for research and development in the field of electronic devices on a micro- as well on a nano-dimensional scale.

In addition, to focus more on facility services for customers, the service sector was re-organized in a separate organization unit which is called π-Fab. The purpose of π-Fab is the fabrication of custom-tailored prototype electron devices.

Furthermore, from nano-technology to printable macro-electronics, the Technology department is your contact for the realization and characterization of single process steps and devices up to prototypes. Based on comprehensive cleanroom facilities, silicon, as well as silicon-carbide processing, forms the backbone of the technology.

Examples for current activities are high-resolution nano-imprints on a large scale, fabrication of advanced integrated power devices, or low-temperature depositions of inorganic materials by printing techniques. The heterogeneous integration of various technologies is currently acquiring more and more importance.

π-Fab

Electron Device Prototype Fabrication

© Photo Fraunhofer IISB
Flexibility as a Matter of Principle: π-Fab handles various Wafer Sizes and Types, the Customer may determine the Points of Entry and Exit from the Process Line.

Fraunhofer IISB operates the π-Fab, which comprises a continuous silicon CMOS and silicon carbide process line in an industry-compatible environment. π-Fab supports its customers with specific process steps, such as epitaxy or ion implantation, as well as with the fabrication of customized electron devices. Customer satisfaction and the manufacture of production ready prototypes are our main priority.

These prototyping services are offered and performed under the brand name π-Fab. In addition, π-Fab supports its customers with particular processing steps or combinations of steps, such as lithography, oxidation, LPCVD, ion implantation, annealing, dry and wet etching, metallization, diffusion, layer deposition, metrology, passivation, PECVD and ALD, and much more.

Customized Electron Devices and Processes

Based on three decades of experience in microelectronics research and development, IISB has extended its activities to industry-oriented low-volume prototype fabrication of custom-tailored electron devices, with a focus on power devices, CMOS devices, passives, sensors, and MEMS.

The unique characteristic of π-Fab is a high flexibility in wafer material and size. Silicon wafers with diameters of 150 mm and 200 mm are handled by default, further diameters on request. The process line is based on a 0.8 μm Si-CMOS technology. In addition, special attention has been given to silicon carbide (SiC) device processing on 100 mm and 150 mm wafers. For that, additional equipment is provided in π-Fab in order to realize all dedicated SiC process steps, such as epitaxy, ICP dry trench etching, growth of silicon dioxide in nitrous atmospheres, implantation of aluminum at elevated temperatures, implant activation annealing at temperatures of up to 1900 °C, or ohmic contact alloying.

Qualitity management and statistical process control are established in order to meet all the requirements of our customers.

Custom Tailored SiC Services

On the π-Fab platform, Fraunhofer IISB fabricates 4H-SiC prototype devices and supports customers with its expertise in electron device and materials development in order to promote the commercialization of SiC material and devices.

Based on IISB‘s Toolbox, Customers can utilize the Services in Order to perform, e.g., Design Studies, Feasibility Tests, Proofs of Concept, or Prototype Fabrication.

Fraunhofer IISB offers R&D Services on SiC from materials development and prototype devices to module assembly and mechatronic systems.

With its headquarters located in Erlangen, Germany’s hotspot for silicon carbide, Fraunhofer IISB has been cooperating with partners from SiC industry and research for more than 20 years.

We are confident that 4H-SiC is the ideal semiconductor for the realization of high voltage and high-power electronic devices due to its outstanding material properties.

Our mission is to make our technology and knowledge in SiC available to our customers in order to support their research, development, manufacturing of devices, modules, and systems.

Due to its material properties, 4H-SiC is the ideal semiconductor for the realization of high-voltage and high-power electronic devices as well as for sensor and detector applications in harsh environments.

Based on IISB‘s toolbox, customers can utilize the services in order to perform, e.g., design studies, feasibility tests, proofs of concept, or prototype fabrication. Fraunhofer IISB offers competent partnership for contract research and development in bilateral cooperation with industry as well as in public-funded projects.

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Materials

SiC Materials Development

© Photo Kurt Fuchs / Fraunhofer IISB
R&D Reactor at Fraunhofer IISB for Deposition of Epitaxial SiC Layers.

Objectives

Correlation of growth parameters and material quality based on experiments and simulation
Growth of n- and p-type high quality epilayers
Support of customers‘ process and material development

Characterization

Structural defects in substrates and high-quality epilayers
Electrical analysis of epilayers
Defect evolution in epilayers

Simulation

Tailored CFD software solutions
Fluid dynamics and heat transfer for bulk and epitaxial growth processes
Species transport with chemical reactions in CVD processes

Prototype

Profound knowledge about epitaxial growth and defect evolution
Basal plane dislocation-free epilayers
PiN diodes fabricated on IISB’s epilayers

Homoepitaxy

SiC Homoepitaxial Growth

Fraunhofer IISB has been developing epitaxial growth processes for growth on the Si- and C-face of 4H-SiC vicinal substrates having different off-cuts, e.g. different off-cut angles and directions. Furthermore, a certain growth process for epilayers with low Basal Plane Dislocation densities is available.

Equipment

Horizontal hot-wall reactor (VP508GFR)
2 separate growth tubes for n- and p-type layers with low compensation
Wafer capacity: 1 x 3 inch, 1 x 100 mm

CVD Process

Growth temperature up to 1700 °C
Precursors: silane, propane
Carrier gas: hydrogen
n-type by nitrogen doping (N₂)
p-type by aluminum doping (TMA)

Typical Specifications

Epilayer thickness: 1 µm up to 60 µm
Thicker layers on request
n-type : 1 x 10¹⁵ cm^-3 < n < 5 x 10¹⁷ cm^-3
p-type : 1 x 10¹⁶ cm^-3 < p < 5 x 10¹⁹ cm^-3
Other doping levels on request

Characterization

SiC Characterization

© Photo Fraunhofer IISB
Dislocation-correlated Etch Pits in SiC substrate.

Fraunhofer IISB has profound knowledge about the characterization of structural defects in 4H-SiC material as well as about the electrical characterization of electronic devices. We offer characterization services based on the methods listed below and we support our customers to identify the appropriate characterization methods for their specific topics.

Epilayers and Devices

SEM equipped with EDS, CL, EBIC
TEM equipped with EDS, EELS
Focused ion beam (FIB)
X-ray topography (XRT)
Atomic force microscopy (AFM)

Epitaxial Layers

Defect selective etching (DSE)
Capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements
Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy (FTIR)
Microwave-detected photoconductivity decay (µ-PCD)

Electronic Devices

Electrical characterization of devices (I-V, C-V) up to 500 °C
Parameter analysis of MOSFET devices
Static and dynamic characterization of high voltage devices
Automatic prober for reliability prediction

Devices

SiC Device Manufacturing

Our mission is to make our technology and knowledge available to our customers in order to support their research, development, and manufacturing of SiC-based devices.

Continuous Process Line

Wet chemistry for cleaning
Photolithography
PECVD and ALD
Ion implantation with wafer heating, from low to high energies up to 6 MeV
Annealing (furnace and lamp heated) up to 1750 °C in various atmospheres
ICP for dry etching of trenches in SiC
N₂O oxidation

Metallization and Packaging

Contact formation (ohmic and Schottky)
Deposition and structuring of metallization layers and their passivation for application temperatures up to 500 °C
Sintering processes for packaging

Devices and Structures

Design and fabrication of test structures
Manufacturing of power electronic and sensor devices

Prototypes