Open Access

ARTICLE

Thermodiffusion Applications in MEMS, NEMS and Solar Cell Fabrication by Thermal Metal Doping of Semiconductors

Morteza Eslamian^1,2, M. Ziad Saghir^1,3
1 Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5B 2K3
2 Present Address: Texas A&M University- Corpus Christi; Email: Morteza.Eslamian@tamucc.edu (M. Eslamian)
3 Email: zsaghir@ryerson.ca (M. Z. Saghir)

Fluid Dynamics & Materials Processing 2012, 8(4), 353-380. https://doi.org/10.3970/fdmp.2012.008.353

Abstract

In this paper recent advances pertinent to the applications of thermodiffusion or thermomigration in the fabrication of micro and nano metal-doped semiconductor-based patterns and devices are reviewed and discussed. In thermomigration, a spot, line, or layer of a p-type dopant, such as aluminum, which is deposited on a semiconductor surface, penetrates into the semiconductor body due to the presence of a temperature gradient applied across the wafer body. The trails of p-doped regions within an n-type semiconductor, in the form of columns or walls, may be used for several applications, such as the isolation of a part of a semiconductor device, the formation of conductive channels within a silicon block, the fabrication of three-dimensional arrays for biological applications, manufacturing of solar cells, manipulation of material properties, and so on.

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Keywords

Thermomigration, Thermodiffusion, Soret effect, Semiconductor devices, Micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), Nano-electro-mechanical systems (NEMS), Solar cells, P-n junctions, Three-dimensional arrays, Opto-electronic sensors

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