Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Summary

The Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Project strives to be at the forefront of understanding the roles that critical atomic-scale defects play in determining device performance and resiliency. The combination of our electron spin based magnetic resonance and solid-state device electrical characterization skill sets are highly unique and place us in an exceptional position to deliver truly fundamental physical understandings. It’s this kind of knowledge that is required to advance immature technologies and associated metrology into practical reality.

Description

Custom-built wafer level probes in position to perform EDMR measurements on fully processed transistors. 

Electronics are all around us and have completely reinvented nearly every aspect of our society. Virtually any system, large or small, contains some type of electronics that may or may not be directly visible to the user. Our insatiable appetite for faster and better technology has been fueled by the tremendous progress and innovation made in advancing the fundamental building blocks of electronic circuity.

These electronic devices advance extremely quickly with new technologies, materials, and architectures always on the horizon, each with their own unique challenges. Thus, there is an ever present need to understand new physical phenomena and their underlying atomic-scale origins. Accomplishing this task requires a strong and fundamental understanding of: (1) the underlying physics of device operation, (2) the chemical and physical nature of atomic-scale defects and imperfections, and (3) the metrology tools and their associated phenomena that are used to interrogate the problems.

ESR/EPR spectroscopy allows determination of atomic-scale physical and chemical structure. Shown are three examples of common defects that plague the semiconductor community.

The Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Project leverages the most powerful analytical tool available to accomplish this goal; electron spin/paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (ESR/EPR). In addition to conventionally detected ESR/EPR suitable for larger area “bulk” samples, we leverage several highly specialized electrically detected magnetic resonance (EDMR) schemes that allows detailed spectroscopic information to be obtained in fully-processed individual device structures. Finally, we also link the atomic-scale defect information obtained via ESR/EPR/EDMR to actual performance and operation via a multitude of conventional device-level electrical measurements (current versus voltage, capacitance versus voltage, charge pumping, etc.).

Virtual Lab Tour: Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Jason Ryan gives a virtual tour of his Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy laboratory. Credit: Jason Ryan

Some of our current research areas are:

• Advancing magnetic resonance and electrical metrology to support quantum computation via single defects.
  • Develop highly specialized and advanced metrology based on ESR/EPR/EDMR and other device electrical measurements, in particular charge pumping, to advance the measurement science associated with understanding the core building blocks of quantum technologies and to provide critical feedback for quantum engineering.
• Understanding memristive switching phenomena for neuromorphic computing architectures.
  • Determine the chemical and physical identity of atomic-scale defects in memristive devices to elucidate the physics and kinetics governing the most prominent commercialization obstacles. Additionally, we aim to develop fundamental physics based predictive models and programming paradigms for beyond binary information processing.  
• Investigating the dominating defects in two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide materials (TMD).
  • Measure the fundamental properties (bonding, elemental constituents, spin orbit coupling, etc.) of dominating atomic-scale defects impeding progress of leading 2D materials and devices through specialized magnetic resonance studies such that they can be brought to commercialization.