Introduction.- Experimental techniques.- Results: NLA using a short pulse duration KrF laser.- Results: NLA using a long pulse duration XeCl laser.- Results: Integrating the supersaturated material in a CMOS pixel matrix.
Daniel Montero was born in Guadalajara (Spain) in 1990. His passion for nature and technology, inherited from his mother and father respectively, led him to pursue a Physics degree at Complutense University of Madrid. He later got at the same university a Masters Degree in Renewable energies, and finally the PhD in Physics with European and Cum Laude special mentions. Recently, he joined IMEC in Belgium to continue his professional career as R&D Engineer in Plasma Etch.
This thesis makes a significant contribution to the development of cheaper Si-based Infrared detectors, operating at room temperature. In particular, the work is focused in the integration of the Ti supersaturated Si material into a CMOS Image Sensor route, the technology of choice for imaging nowadays due to its low-cost and high resolution. First, the material is fabricated using ion implantation of Ti atoms at high concentrations. Afterwards, the crystallinity is recovered by means of a pulsed laser process. The material is used to fabricate planar photodiodes, which are later characterized using current-voltage and quantum efficiency measurements. The prototypes showed improved sub-bandgap responsivity up to 0.45 eV at room temperature. The work is further supported by a collaboration with STMicroelectronics, where the supersaturated material was integrated into CMOS-based sensors at industry level. The results show that Ti supersaturated Si is compatible in terms of contamination, process integration and uniformity. The devices showed similar performance to non-implanted devices in the visible region. This fact leaves the door open for further integration of supersaturated materials into CMOS Image Sensors.