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- ItemSubnanometer Control of the Heteroepitaxial Growth of Multimicrometer-Thick Ge /(Si, Ge) Quantum Cascade Structures(College Park, Md. [u.a.] : American Physical Society, 2023) Talamas Simola, Enrico; Montanari, Michele; Corley-Wiciak, Cedric; Di Gaspare, Luciana; Persichetti, Luca; Zöllner, Marvin H.; Schubert, Markus A.; Venanzi, Tommaso; Trouche, Marina Cagnon; Ortolani, Michele; Mattioli, Francesco; Sfuncia, Gianfranco; Nicotra, Giuseppe; Capellini, Giovanni; Virgilio, Michele; De Seta, MonicaThe fabrication of complex low-dimensional quantum devices requires the control of the heteroepitaxial growth at the subnanometer scale. This is particularly challenging when the total thickness of stacked layers of device-active material becomes extremely large and exceeds the multi-μm limit, as in the case of quantum cascade structures. Here, we use the ultrahigh-vacuum chemical vapor deposition technique for the growth of multi-μm-thick stacks of high Ge content strain-balanced Ge/SiGe tunneling heterostructures on Si substrates, designed to serve as the active material in a THz quantum cascade laser. By combining thorough structural investigation with THz spectroscopy absorption experiments and numerical simulations we show that the optimized deposition process can produce state-of-the-art threading dislocation density, ultrasharp interfaces, control of dopant atom position at the nanoscale, and reproducibility within 1% of the layer thickness and composition within the whole multilayer. We show that by using ultrahigh-vacuum chemical vapor deposition one achieves simultaneously a control of the epitaxy down to the sub-nm scale typical of the molecular beam epitaxy, and the high growth rate and technological relevance of chemical vapor deposition. Thus, this technique is a key enabler for the deposition of integrated THz devices and other complex quantum structures based on the Ge/SiGe material system.
- ItemProlonged Corrosion Stability of a Microchip Sensor Implant during In Vivo Exposure(Basel : MDPI, 2018) Glogener, Paul; Krause, Michael; Katzer, Jens; Schubert, Markus A.; Birkholz, Mario; Bellmann, Olaf; Kröger-Koch, Claudia; Hammon, Harald M.; Metges, Cornelia C.; Welsch, Christine; Ruff, Roman; Hoffmann, Klaus P.A microelectronic biosensor was subjected to in vivo exposure by implanting it in the vicinity of m. trapezii (Trapezius muscle) from cattle. The implant is intended for the continuous monitoring of glucose levels, and the study aimed at evaluating the biostability of exposed semiconductor surfaces. The sensor chip was a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) prepared using 0.25 µm complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor CMOS/BiCMOS technology. Sensing is based on the principle of affinity viscometry with a sensoric assay, which is separated by a semipermeable membrane from the tissue. Outer dimensions of the otherwise hermetically sealed biosensor system were 39 × 49 × 16 mm. The test system was implanted into cattle in a subcutaneous position without running it. After 17 months, the device was explanted and analyzed by comparing it with unexposed chips and systems. Investigations focused on the MEMS chip using SEM, TEM, and elemental analysis by EDX mapping. The sensor chip turned out to be uncorroded and no diminishing of the topmost passivation layer could be determined, which contrasts remarkably with previous results on CMOS biosensors. The negligible corrosive attack is understood to be a side effect of the semipermeable membrane separating the assay from the tissue. It is concluded that the separation has enabled a prolonged biostability of the chip, which will be of relevance for biosensor implants in general.