Nanostructure Semiconductor Layers for Precise Doping and Lower Voltage
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Solution Overview
Problem
There is a need for electronic devices with lower-power consumption and smaller device size to meet increasing demands in the electronics industry.
Innovation Solution
Integration of nanostructures, such as organic quantum dots, inorganic quantum dots, fullerenes, and III-V semiconductor materials, into semiconductor layers reduces device size and lowers applied voltage, simplifying manufacturing by eliminating the need for doping and enabling precise control of doping.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If conventional doping methods are used to create doped regions in semiconductor devices, then electrical properties can be controlled, but device size increases and manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the dopant function from conventional diffusion-based doping and concentrates it into discrete nanostructure objects (quantum dots, nanocrystals, or molecules) with sizes of 1-100 nanometers. These nanostructures contain dopant atoms in controlled quantities (e.g., 1-1000 dopant atoms per nanostructure), replacing traditional bulk doping regions and enabling precise dopant placement without requiring large diffusion zones.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental parameter of dopant distribution from continuous concentration gradients (conventional doping) to discrete, localized dopant clusters within nanostructures. By controlling the number of dopant atoms per nanostructure (e.g., 1-1000 atoms) and the spacing between nanostructures, the invention achieves precise electrical property control while reducing the spatial footprint of doped regions.
2Reliability
If conventional doping processes are used, then semiconductor devices can achieve required electrical properties, but manufacturing steps and process complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary action by pre-forming nanostructures with embedded dopant atoms before integrating them into the semiconductor device. The dopant atoms are incorporated into the nanostructures during their formation (e.g., during quantum dot growth or nanocrystal synthesis), so that when these nanostructures are placed in the semiconductor layer, the doping function is already established, eliminating subsequent complex doping steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces nanostructures as intermediary objects that mediate between the semiconductor matrix and the dopant atoms. These nanostructures serve as containers or hosts for the dopant atoms, providing a stable platform that enables precise dopant placement and controlled electrical properties while simplifying the overall manufacturing process by decoupling dopant delivery from the semiconductor fabrication steps.
3Volume of moving object
If device size is reduced to meet demand for smaller electronics, then portability increases, but power consumption management becomes more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating highly localized dopant regions within individual nanostructures, where each nanostructure (1-100 nanometers in size) contains a specific number of dopant atoms (1-1000 atoms) that provide concentrated electrical activity. This localized doping approach enables precise control of current flow in small devices, allowing for efficient power management in miniaturized electronics by activating only the necessary localized regions.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces the size of semiconductor devices, lowers power consumption, and enhances manufacturing efficiency, allowing for higher circuit performance and density of nanomaterial-based semiconductor devices.
Implementation Method 1
a first tunnel junction configured to electrically isolate the nanostructure from a source region, and a second tunnel junction configured to electrically isolate the nanostructure from a drain region
Data Source
AI summary
Some embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a nanomaterial-based semiconductor device and method of manufacturing the same. Integration of nanostructures in a semiconductor layer may reduce the size of the semiconductor devices and may lower the applied voltage, thereby reducing heating of the structure. Further, the solution may simplify the manufacturing process by eliminating the need to dope the semiconductor layer and may reduce the size of the semiconductor devices. Moreover, embedding the nanostructures in the semiconductor layer may enable precise control of the doping of the semiconductor layer.