Low Loss Amorphous Silicon for MKID Detectors
Project Description
We will develop alow loss amorphous Silicon (a-Si) as the dielectric for superconducting detector applications like MicroSpec to reduce the fabrication complexity and to extend the in house capability to 200mm wafer processing. The current process employs a thin (~0.5um or less) crystalline silicon layer applied by a complex and time consuming process which is limited to 150mm wafers due to the required bonding step. We will develop and optimize a process for depositing a-Si which will be the second of three simple sequential deposition steps which will improve process yield.
More »Anticipated Benefits
The target application is the dielectric layer of Microwave Kinectic Inductance Detectors, (MKID). If a sufficiently low loss can be achieved with the a-Si films, we expect that this simplified process would improve the yield by 1.5 to 2X and would also reduce cost. This technology could also extend to other detector and photovoltaic devices.
This process could be incorporated into existing and future projects like EXCLAIM, CMBPol, and Probe of Inflation and Cosmic Origins (PICO) among others.
More »Project Library
Primary U.S. Work Locations and Key Partners
| Organizations Performing Work | Role | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
Goddard Space Flight Center
(GSFC)
|
Lead Organization | NASA Center | Greenbelt, Maryland |
Primary U.S. Work Locations
-
Maryland
