Ian Boyd and colleagues at University College London (UCL) have discovered a world first in the manufacturing of microchips. The team has used nanotechnology techniques to successfully induce the oxidation of silicon at room temperatures using light from ultraviolet (UV) excimer lamps, instead of high-temperature furnaces.
The oxidation process creates the natural oxide coating on silicon, which acts as an insulator and in electrical applications it can protect the silicon, store electrical charge, block electrical current and even act as a controlled pathway to allow small currents to flow through a device.
The coating typically grows extremely slowly at room temperature. To manufacture chips, the oxide is grown by deliberately heating the silicon in high temperature furnaces at temperatures of 900-1200 Celsius. UCL’s breakthrough means that these furnaces could be made redundant, radically reducing the amount of energy consumed during the silicon manufacturing process.
Boyd’s discovery also opens up new possibilities for using light instead of heat to fabricate advanced electronic devices, as well as creating the opportunity to realise completely new materials with unique properties.
“Our finding has the potential to completely overhaul the way that the microelectronic industry processes silicon,” says Boyd, “Silicon chips are used in thousands of devices, from high-tech electronics, such as PCs and personal media players, to everyday items like washing machines and alarm clocks. This finding means that the industry’s energy, and subsequent cost savings, could reduce the prices of electronic devices for consumers and, of course, create a positive environmental impact.
Adapted from a UCL press release