Emerging GaN-on-Si MEMS:

Sensors, Microfabrication, and

Interface Materials

Debbie G. Senesky, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor
Aeronautics & Astronautics Department
Electrical Engineering by Courtesy
EXtreme Environment Microsystems Lab (XLab)
Stanford University

Stanford’s MOCVD Workshop

Stanford, CA
05 April 2016
The Industrial Internet of Things

Image Credit: General Electric

2 MOCVD Workshop 2016 Meeting of the Minds and Machines
Harsh Environment Sensing

Energy Oil & Gas Industrial Gas Automotive Aircraft

Industries Geothermal Exploration Turbines Engines Engines

275oC 600oC

Minimum
Sensing
Temperatures
600oC

374oC 300oC

Pressure Pressure Pressure Pressure Pressure

Desired Temperature Temperature Temperature Temperature Temperature
Sensing
Measurands
H2S Hydrocarbon Flame Speed Flame Speed Flame Speed
Strain Strain Acceleration O2 Acceleration

•  “Harsh environment” includes extremes of pressure, temperature,

shock, radiation and chemical attack.
•  Sensing within harsh environments enables real-time monitoring of
subsurface environments, combustion and critical components.
3 MOCVD Workshop 2016
Real-time Sensing in Harsh Environments

• Sensing within harsh environments enables real-time

monitoring of combustion processes, subsurface
properties, critical components, and space
environments.
Ä  Subsurface: pressure, temperature, flow, tilt and chemical conc.
Ä  Combustion: pressure, temperature and flame speed
Ä  Space: pressure, radiation, strain and magnetic fields
• Commercial-off-the-shelf sensors and electronics are
limited to temperatures below 200oC and short
operation periods.
• Technical challenges:
Ä  A new materials platform must be utilized to extend the operation
limits (600oC and beyond!).
Ä  New sensing methodologies (e.g. packaging, temperature
compensation, communication and power) must be developed.
4 MOCVD Workshop 2016
Monitoring of Hot Structures & Hot Climates

Hypersonic Aircrafts Venus Climate

Photo credit:
DARPA
Photo credit:
www.the8planets.com

Hydrothermal Vents

“Smart” Hot
Structure with
Embedded
Sensors

5 MOCVD Workshop 2016

In-situ Combustion Monitoring

Clean
Emissions

GaN Harsh
Environment
Sensors

GaN Integrated
Circuits & RF
Goal: Clean and
Components efficient industrial
GaN Energy
gas turbines
Harvesting
Power Sources
6 MOCVD Workshop 2016
Current Technology

Interval-based maintenance

7 MOCVD Workshop 2016

AlGaN/GaN Heterostructures

•  The AlGaN/GaN heterostructure is

currently being developed to make
high electron mobility transistors
(HEMTs) for the power electronics
industry.
•  Growth on Si, SiC, sapphire and The jump in the macroscopic polarization
(discontinuity in dipoles) at the AlGaN/GaN interface
diamond substrates with metal causes a positive fixed polarization charge at this
interface (M. Stutzmann, et al.).
organic chemical vapor deposition
(MOCVD) and molecular beam
epitaxy (MBE).

Image of AlGaN/GaN HEMT epitaxially grown on

MOCVD Workshop 2016 diamond substrate (K. Hirama et al., IEEE EDL, 2012).
8
Material Properties (Gallium Nitride)

Property GaN 6H-SiC AlN Diamond Silicon

Melting Point (oC) 2500 2830 2470 4000 1420
sublimes phase change
Energy Gap (eV) 3.4 3.0 6.2 5.6 1.12
Critical Field (×106 V/cm) 5.0 2.5 10 5.0 0.25

Thermal Conductivity (W/cm-K) 1.3 5.0 1.6 20 1.5

Young’s Modulus (GPa) 390 450 340 1035 190

Acoustic Velocity (x103 m/s) 8.0 11.9 11.4 17.2 9.1

Yield Strength (GPa) - 21 - 53 7

Coeff. of Thermal Expansion (oC ×10-6 ) 3.7 4.5 4.0 0.8 2.6

Chemical Stability Good Excellent Good Fair Fair

Material properties of GaN, SiC, AlN, diamond and Si.

à GaN is a thermally stable, mechanically robust, and radiation hardened

ceramic semiconductor material.
10 MOCVD Workshop 2016
AlGaN/GaN 2DEG Formation

Spontaneous polarization
Ga

Image credit:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wurtzite_crystal_structure

Piezoelectric polarization
AlGaN

GaN

Image credit: Image credit: M. Lindeborg et al., UCSB, 2011.

C. Chapin, Stanford University, 2015.
11 MOCVD Workshop 2016
GaN HEMT-based Microsystems

H. Koeck, C.A. Chapin & D.G. Senesky, SPIE Defense, Security and Sensing (2014).
12 MOCVD Workshop 2016
AlGaN/GaN Under Strain

Image of testing setup for applying strain to sensor and

localized heating profiles.
H. Koeck, C. Chapin, C. Ostermaier, O. Haberlen, & D. G. Senesky, Proc. of SPIE, (2014).

13 MOCVD Workshop 2016

GaN HEMTs from 25-600°C

Strain Response at 25°C I-V Response at 600°C

Current-voltage response of an AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility

sense element under applied strain and elevated temperatures.

H. Koeck, C. Chapin, C. Ostermaier, O. Haberlen, & D. G. Senesky, Proc. of SPIE, (2014).

14 MOCVD Workshop 2016

Modeled Strain and Temperature Response

Ananth Saran Yalamarthy et al., Semicond. Sci. & Technol. (2016).

15 MOCVD Workshop 2016
3D AlGaN/GaN Ultraviolet Photodetectors

Incident UV light Incident UV light

(a) (b)

B D

A C
Ohmic contact

A B C D <111>

2DEG

2DEG
<100>
<111>
GaN AlGaN AlN
<110>

Hongyun So et al., IEEE Sensors Journal, (2016).

MOCVD Workshop 2016
3D AlGaN/GaN Ultraviolet Photodetectors

AlN/AlGaN/GaN (b) 1.
(a)
1.
GaN <111>

Al0.2Ga0.8N
Al0.5Ga0.5N
Al0.8Ga0.2N
AlN
3. 2.

(111) Si 4. (100) Si
1 µm 20 µm 10 µm

2. 3. 4.

AlN/AlGaN/GaN
GaN
Al0.2Ga0.8N
Al0.5Ga0.5N
Al0.8Ga0.2N
AlN
2 µm 1 µm 1 µm

SEM images of V-grooved HEMTs

Hongyun So et al., Applied Physics Letters (2016).

MOCVD Workshop 2016
3D AlGaN/GaN Ultraviolet Photodetectors

UV off on off on off on off

200°C
5 min

150°C

100°C

RT
V-grooved
Flat

Hongyun So et al., IEEE Sensors Journal, (2016).

MOCVD Workshop 2016
High-Temperature Metallization on GaN

Ti/Al/Pt/Au contacts on GaN

M. Hou and D.G. Senesky, Appl. Phys. Lett., (2014).

19 MOCVD Workshop 2016
High-Temperature Metallization on GaN

M. Hou and D.G. Senesky, Appl. Phys. Lett., (2014).

20 MOCVD Workshop 2016
Micromachining of SiC w/ O2/SF6

K.M. Dowling et al., ASME InterPACKICNMM, (2015).

K.M. Dowling, A. Suria, A. Shankar, C. Chapin and
D.G. Senesky, IEEE MEMS Conference (2015).

21 MOCVD Workshop 2016

Multifunctional Device Integration

•  Development of multiple devices (HEMT circuits, energy harvesters,

sensors and RF resonators) on a single chip using the multi-
functional properties of the AlGaN/GaN heterostructure.

GaN High
GaN Sensor
Electron
(e.g. acceleration,
Mobility
pressure)
Transistor
(HEMT) Circuit

GaN GaN
Piezoelectric Piezoelectric
Energy RF Resonator
Harvester

22 MOCVD Workshop 2016

Harsh Environment Sensing

Energy Oil & Gas Industrial Gas Automotive Aircraft

Industries Geothermal Exploration Turbines Engines Engines

275oC 600oC

Minimum
Sensing
Temperatures
600oC

374oC 300oC

Pressure Pressure Pressure Pressure Pressure

Desired Temperature Temperature Temperature Temperature Temperature
Sensing
Measurands
H2S Hydrocarbon Flame Speed Flame Speed Flame Speed
Strain Strain Acceleration O2 Acceleration

•  “Harsh environment” includes extremes of pressure, temperature,

shock, radiation and chemical attack.
•  Sensing within harsh environments enables real-time monitoring of
subsurface environments, combustion and critical components.
23 MOCVD Workshop 2016
Conclusions

• The GaN materials platform can be used to extend the

operation environments of sensors and electronics.
• Harsh environment sensors can be used to
Ä Illuminate properties (e.g. pressure, temperature, and
gas content) of combustion processes & subsurface
conditions.
Ä Monitor the structural health of critical components.
Ä Provide real-time feedback.
• In addition, these materials can be used to create a
multitude of devices on a single chip.
Ä Development of standardized fabrication processes
and device packaging is required.

24 MOCVD Workshop 2016

 Thank You!
xlab.stanford.edu
dsenesky@stanford.edu

25 MOCVD Workshop 2016