The present disclosure relates to a multilayer body, an electronic device, and a method of producing the multilayer body.
To date, materials having a phononic crystal have been known.
For example, US20170047499A1, US20170069818A1, and “Impeded thermal transport in Si multiscale hierarchical architectures with phononic crystal nanostructures”, Physical Review B 91, 205422 (2015), Nomura et al., each disclose a periodic structure defined by a plurality of through holes. In the periodic structure, in a plan view of a thin film, the through holes are regularly arranged, with a periodicity of nanometer orders in a range of 1 nanometer (nm) to 1000 nm. This periodic structure is one type of the structure of the phononic crystal. A phononic crystal of this type has a periodic structure that has, as unit lattices, minimum units forming an array of through holes.
With this phononic crystal, thermal conductivity of a thin film can be reduced. This advantage of the phononic crystal can be applied to various usages. For example, JP2017-223644A discloses a thermal-type infrared sensor including a phononic crystal in a thin film shape.
From the viewpoint of reducing electric resistance of a multilayer body including a phononic crystal, there is room for reviewing the technology described above.
The present disclosure provides an advantageous technology from the viewpoint of reducing electric resistance of a multilayer body including a phononic crystal.
The present disclosure provides the multilayer body below.
A multilayer body including:
a phononic crystal layer having a plurality of recesses; and
a metal layer disposed on or above the phononic crystal layer, wherein
metal atoms of a kind identical to that of metal atoms contained in the metal layer are present inside the recesses.
The multilayer body of the present disclosure is advantageous from the viewpoint of reducing electric resistance.
(Findings Serving as the Basis of the Present Disclosure)
The thermal conductivity of a thin film can be reduced by making the thin film into a porous form, for example. Voids formed in the thin film due to the porous form reduce the thermal conductivity of the thin film. Meanwhile, with a phononic crystal, the thermal conductivity of a base material itself forming the thin film can be reduced, and the thermal conductivity is further expected to be reduced when compared with that of the thin film made into a porous form. Therefore, for example, it is conceivable that a layer having a phononic crystal and a metal layer are laminated to be used in an electronic device such as a thermal-type sensor.
Meanwhile, studies by the present inventors revealed that when a phononic crystal layer and a metal layer are laminated, the electric resistance of the multilayer body is likely to be high. In order to increase the value of the multilayer body, it is advantageous that the multilayer body has a low electric resistance. Thus, the present inventors obtained an idea of diffusing metal atoms in the metal layer toward the phononic crystal layer, to reduce the electric resistance of the multilayer body. Through trial-and-error under this idea, the present inventors found that, when the phononic crystal layer is configured such that the metal atoms are present at a specific position of the phononic crystal layer, the electric resistance of the multilayer body is easily reduced, and devised the multilayer body of the present disclosure.
(Outline of One Aspect According to the Present Disclosure)
The present disclosure provides the multilayer body below.
A multilayer body including:
a phononic crystal layer having a plurality of recesses; and
a metal layer disposed on or above the phononic crystal layer, wherein
metal atoms of a kind identical to that of metal atoms contained in the metal layer are present inside the recesses.
In the above multilayer body, since the phononic crystal layer is configured as above, the multilayer body easily has a low electric resistance.
Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The embodiment described below is all comprehensive or specific examples. The numerical values, shapes, materials, components, arrangement positions of the components, connection forms, process conditions, steps, order of the steps, etc., shown in the following embodiment are examples, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. In addition, among the components in the following embodiment, the components that are not described in the independent claims that represent broadest concepts are described as discretionary components. Each drawing is a schematic diagram, and is not necessarily exactly illustrated.
Metal atoms of a kind identical to that of metal atoms contained in the metal layer 22 are present inside the recesses 21h, for example. With this configuration, the electric resistance of the multilayer body 20 easily becomes low. As a result, the phononic device 1a easily exhibits a desired performance. For example, inside some of the plurality of recesses 21h positioned immediately below the metal layer 22, the metal atoms of the kind identical to that of the metal atoms contained in the metal layer 22 may be present. With this configuration, the electric resistance of the multilayer body 20 easily and more assuredly becomes low.
At a specific position of the phononic crystal layer 21, the concentration of the metal atoms of the kind identical to that of the metal atoms contained in the metal layer 22 is, for example, 4×1021 atoms/cm3 or more. The specific position is a position separated by nm from a surface 21s of the phononic crystal layer 21 to the inside of the phononic crystal layer 21, in the thickness direction of the phononic crystal layer 21. In this case, the electric resistance of the multilayer body 20 easily and more assuredly becomes low. The concentration of the metal atoms at the specific position of the phononic crystal layer 21 can be determined, for example, by performing TOF-SIMS while etching the multilayer body 20 by ion sputtering from a surface 22a of the metal layer 22 toward the phononic crystal layer 21 in the thickness direction of the metal layer 22.
The ion to be used in the ion sputtering above is not limited to a specific ion as long as etching of the multilayer body 20 is possible. The ion is Cs+, for example. The primary ion to be used in TOF-SI MS is not limited to a specific ion as long as the concentration of the metal atoms in the multilayer body 20 can be acquired. The primary ion is Bi3+, for example.
At the specific position of the phononic crystal layer 21, the concentration of the metal atoms of the kind identical to that of the metal atoms contained in the metal layer 22 may be 5×1021 atoms/cm3 or more, may be 6×1021 atoms/cm3 or more, or may be 7×1021 atoms/cm3 or more. The concentration of the metal atoms at the specific position of the phononic crystal layer 21 is 5×1022 atoms/cm3 or less, for example.
The concentration of the metal atoms decreases gradually in association with increase in distance from the surface 21s, between the specific position above and the surface 21s in the thickness direction of the phononic crystal layer 21, for example. When such a result can be obtained by performing TOF-SIMS while etching the multilayer body the electric resistance of the multilayer body 20 easily and more assuredly becomes low.
In the phononic crystal layer 21, the relationship between the concentration of the metal atoms of the kind identical to that of the metal atoms contained in the metal layer 22 and the depth from the surface 21s of the phononic crystal layer 21 is not limited to a specific relationship. The phononic crystal layer 21 satisfies a condition of y≥100 exp(−0.2326x) in a range of 0≤≤24, for example. In this condition, x is the numerical value portion when the depth in the phononic crystal layer 21 from the surface 21s of the phononic crystal layer 21 is expressed in nanometers. y is determined by performing exponential approximation, in a range of 0≤x≤24, on the relationship between the percentage of the concentration of the metal atoms at a depth of x nanometers in the phononic crystal layer 21 relative to the concentration of the metal atoms at the surface 21s, and the depth x. When the phononic crystal layer 21 satisfies such a condition, the electric resistance of the multilayer body 20 easily and more assuredly becomes low.
In the multilayer body 20, an average value Ca of the concentration of the metal atoms in an intermediate portion 25 between the metal layer 22 and the phononic crystal layer 21 is not limited to a specific value. The average value Ca is larger than 3.68×1022 atoms/cm3, for example. In this case, the electric resistance of the multilayer body 20 easily and more assuredly becomes low. The intermediate portion 25 is present, for example, at the boundary or in the vicinity of the boundary between the metal layer 22 and the phononic crystal layer 21, between a depth d1 corresponding to a value at which the second derivative value of the concentration of the metal atoms relative to the depth becomes minimum, and a depth d2 at which the second derivative value becomes maximum. The average value Ca is determined by, for example, dividing the integrated value of the concentration of the metal atoms in a range from the depth d1 to the depth d2 by the absolute value of the difference between the depth d1 and the depth d2. The average value Ca may be 3.69×1022 atoms/cm3 or more, or may be 3.70×1022 atoms/cm3 or more. The average value Ca is 6.03×1022 atoms/cm3 or less, for example.
In the multilayer body 20, the absolute value |d2-d1| is not limited to a specific value. The absolute value |d2-d1| is 5 nm or more and 20 nm or less, for example.
The material forming the phononic crystal layer 21 is not limited to a specific material. The material forming the phononic crystal layer 21 is a semiconductor material, for example. The main component of the semiconductor material is not limited to a specific component. In the present specification, the main component means a component that is contained in the largest amount on a mass basis. The main component of the semiconductor material forming the phononic crystal layer 21 is Si, for example. The semiconductor material forming the phononic crystal layer 21 can contain a dopant such as B and P.
The metal atoms contained in the metal layer 22 are not limited to metal atoms of a specific kind. The metal atoms are aluminum (Al), for example. With this configuration, the metal layer 22 easily absorbs infrared radiation. The metal atoms contained in the metal layer 22 may be iron, may be nickel, may be chromium, may be cobalt, may be magnesium, may be tin, or may be zinc. The material forming the metal layer 22 may be a single metal, may be an alloy, or may be an electroconductive metal compound.
As shown in
The ratio of the length of each recess 21h relative to the diameter of the recess 21h is not limited to a specific value. The length of the recess 21h is a length of the recess 21h in the thickness direction of the phononic crystal layer 21. This ratio is 3 or more, for example. This ratio may be 4 or more. This ratio is 20 or less, for example.
As shown in
For example, each recess 21h penetrates the phononic crystal layer 21 in the thickness direction to form a through hole. Accordingly, for example, physical properties in the thickness direction of the phononic crystal layer 21 are less likely to vary. In the thickness direction of the phononic crystal layer 21, one end of the recess 21h may be open, and the other end of the recess 21h may be closed by the solid portion 21k of the phononic crystal layer 21.
An example of a method of producing the multilayer body 20 will be described. For example, the method of producing the multilayer body 20 includes applying a voltage, at a preliminary multilayer body 20p including a phononic crystal layer 21p and a metal layer 22p, to cause a current between the phononic crystal layer 21p and the metal layer 22p. The phononic crystal layer 21p and the metal layer 22p in the preliminary multilayer body are configured so as to be similar to the phononic crystal layer 21 and the metal layer 22, respectively. The phononic crystal layer 21p of the preliminary multilayer body 20p can be prepared by forming a plurality of recesses in a thin film by a method such as electron-beam lithography and block copolymer lithography, for example. The thin film can be formed by a method such as vacuum deposition, ion plating, sputtering, and chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The metal layer 22p of the preliminary multilayer body 20p can be formed on the thus-formed phononic crystal layer 21p, by a method such as vacuum deposition, ion plating, sputtering, and CVD, for example.
The voltage above is not limited to a specific value as long as the multilayer body can be produced. The voltage is higher than the voltage necessary for driving the phononic device 1a. The voltage is a DC voltage, for example, and the direction in which the voltage is applied may be changed to a reverse direction in production of the multilayer body 20.
Through application of the voltage, for example, as described above, the phononic crystal layer 21 is doped with the metal atoms M such that the concentration of the metal atoms M at the specific position of the phononic crystal layer 21 becomes 4×1021 atoms/cm3 or more.
Through application of the voltage, for example, the phononic crystal layer 21 can satisfy the condition of y≥100 exp(−0.2326x) in a range of 0≤x≤24, as described above.
Through application of the voltage, the average value Ca of the concentration of the metal atoms in the intermediate portion 25 between the metal layer 22 and the phononic crystal layer 21 may become larger than 3.68×1022 atoms/cm3.
As shown in
It is also conceivable to promote diffusion of the metal atoms M from the metal layer 22p to the phononic crystal layer 21p by a method such as performing heat treatment on the preliminary multilayer body 20p. However, in this case, the heat treatment may have influence on the entirety of the phononic device 1a including the multilayer body 20. Meanwhile, according to the method above, heat treatment is not necessary, and thus, it is possible to prevent the treatment for diffusion of the metal atoms M from influencing the entirety of the phononic device 1a.
As shown in
The thin film 12 is formed on the base substrate 11. The base substrate 11 is typically formed from a semiconductor. The semiconductor is Si, for example. As shown in
For example, the first phononic crystal layer 21a includes an n-type semiconductor, and the second phononic crystal layer 21b includes a p-type semiconductor. As shown in
The low thermal conduction layer 13 is formed on the base substrate 11. The thermal conductivity at normal temperature of the low thermal conduction layer 13 is 5 Wm−1K−1 or less, for example. The low thermal conduction layer 13 may be a layer formed from a solid material, such as SiO2, having a low thermal conductivity, may be an air layer, or may be a vacuum layer. For example, the low thermal conduction layer 13 is formed below the first phononic crystal layer 21a, the second phononic crystal layer 21b, and the high electric resistance layer 23. The low thermal conduction layer 13 may also be formed below the thin film 12. In the present specification, the normal temperature is 20° C.±15° C. according to the Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS) Z 8703.
The first phononic crystal layer 21a and the second phononic crystal layer 21b are disposed on the low thermal conduction layer 13, for example. The metal layer 22 is disposed on the first phononic crystal layer 21a, the second phononic crystal layer 21b, and the high electric resistance layer 23, and covers a part of the phononic crystals of the first phononic crystal layer 21a and the second phononic crystal layer 21b. Accordingly, a connection portion 14a is formed between the metal layer 22 and the first phononic crystal layer 21a, and a connection portion 14b is formed between the metal layer 22 and the second phononic crystal layer 21b. One of the first phononic crystal layer 21a and the second phononic crystal layer 21b may be changed to a layer not having the phononic crystal.
As shown in
As shown in
The phononic device 1a functions as an infrared sensor, for example.
Due to the presence of the plurality of recesses 21h in the phononic crystal layer 21, the areas of the connection portions 14a and 14b between the phononic crystal layer 21 and the metal layer 22 are smaller than those when the phononic crystal layer 21 is replaced by a layer not having the phononic crystal. Therefore, the contact electric resistances at the connection portions 14a and 14b easily become high. However, in the multilayer body 20 of the phononic device 1a, as described above, the metal atoms M contained in the metal layer 22 are locally diffused in the phononic crystal layer 21, and thus, the contact electric resistances at the connection portions 14a and 14b are reduced.
Due to the presence of the plurality of recesses 21h in the phononic crystal layer 21, the contact electric resistances at the connection portion 14c and the connection portion 14d are also considered to easily become high. For example, when the first wiring 17a and the second wiring 17b are metal layers, metal atoms contained in these metal layers can be locally diffused into the phononic crystal layer 21. Accordingly, the contact electric resistance at the connection portions 14c and 14d can also be reduced. The compositions of the material forming the metal layer 22 and the material forming the first wiring 17a and the second wiring 17b may be the same as or different from each other.
An example of a method of reducing the contact electric resistances at the connection portions 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d will be described. The first signal processing circuit 18a and the second signal processing circuit 18b are configured such that a DC voltage can be applied between the first signal processing circuit 18a and the second signal processing circuit 18b, for example. The first signal processing circuit 18a and the second signal processing circuit 18b are configured such that a voltage higher than the voltage necessary for driving the phononic device 1a can be applied between the first signal processing circuit 18a and the second signal processing circuit 18b. This voltage is V or more, for example. When such a voltage is applied between the first signal processing circuit 18a and the second signal processing circuit 18b, a current is caused in a circuit 30. The circuit 30 is composed of the first signal processing circuit 18a, the first wiring 17a, the connection portion 14c, the first phononic crystal layer 21a, the connection portion 14a, the metal layer 22, the connection portion 14b, the second phononic crystal layer 21b, the connection portion 14d, the second wiring 17b, and the second signal processing circuit 18b. Accordingly, in the portions corresponding to the connection portions 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d, metal atoms contained in the metal layer 22, the first wiring 17a, and the second wiring 17b are diffused toward the phononic crystal layer 21 due to Joule heat and electric fields. As a result, the contact electric resistances at the connection portions 14a, 14b, 14c, and 14d are reduced.
As described above, the electric resistance of the high electric resistance layer 23 is higher than the electric resistances of the first phononic crystal layer 21a and the second phononic crystal layer 21b. Therefore, even when the voltage is applied as above, substantially no current is caused in the high electric resistance layer 23, and the metal atoms contained in the metal layer 22 are hardly diffused into the high electric resistance layer 23. A thin film such as a silicon oxide thin film and a silicon nitride thin film may be formed between the high electric resistance layer 23 and the metal layer 22.
Using a different power supply without using the first signal processing circuit 18a and the second signal processing circuit 18b, the voltage above may be applied between the first wiring 17a and the second wiring 17b of the circuit 30. In this case, the first signal processing circuit 18a and the second signal processing circuit 18b need not be configured such that a high voltage can be applied therebetween, and restriction in designing the first signal processing circuit 18a and the second signal processing circuit 18b can be reduced.
As described above, an electronic device, such as the phononic device 1a, including the multilayer body 20 can be provided. The electronic device including the multilayer body 20 is not limited to the phononic device 1a. The electronic device including the multilayer body 20 may be an electronic device other than the phononic device 1a.
Hereinafter, the multilayer body of the present embodiment will be described in more detail with reference to Example. However, the multilayer body of the present embodiment is not limited to each aspect shown in Example below.
(Sample 1)
A silicon substrate having an SiO2 layer on one principal surface was prepared. An Si film having a thickness of 100 nm was formed by a vapor deposition method on the SiO2 layer of the silicon substrate. The Si film was a film of single silicon not containing impurities. Unnecessary portions of the Si film were removed by selective etching so as to leave the Si layer having a rectangular shape of which both ends were connected to the surrounding Si film. Next, a plurality of through holes regularly arranged in the in-plane direction of the Si layer were formed in the Si layer by electron-beam lithography or block copolymer lithography, whereby a phononic crystal structure was provided to the Si layer. The diameter of each through hole was about 26 nm, and the distance between the centers of through holes adjacent to each other in the in-plane direction of the Si layer was about 38 nm. Next, portions, excluding a center portion, of the Si layer having the rectangular shape were doped. The portion in contact with one end of the center portion in the longitudinal direction of the Si layer was doped into the p-type, and the portion in contact with the other end of the center portion was doped into the n-type. Accordingly, the Si layer having the rectangular shape had a p-type portion, a non-doped portion, and an n-type portion in the longitudinal direction in this order. An Al layer was formed by a vapor deposition method so as to continuously cover the non-doped portion, a part of the p-type portion, and a part of the n-type portion of the Si layer. Next, a DC voltage of 70 V was applied between both ends of the Si layer having the rectangular shape. At a time during application of the DC voltage, the direction of voltage was reversed. In this manner, Sample 1 was prepared.
(Sample 2)
Sample 2 was prepared in a similar manner to that in Sample 1 except that the DC voltage was not applied between both ends of the Si layer having the rectangular shape.
(Sample 3)
Sample 3 was prepared in a similar manner to that in Sample 1 except that the phononic crystal structure was not provided to the Si layer.
(Sample 4)
Sample 4 was prepared in a similar manner to that in Sample 2 except that the phononic crystal structure was not provided to the Si layer.
Using a TOF-SIMS device, i.e., TOF.SIMS 5, manufactured by IONTOF, with respect to Sample 1, Sample 2, Sample 3, and Sample 4, TOF-SIMS was performed on the portion where the Al layer and the p-type portion or the n-type portion overlap each other. TOF-SIMS was performed while the sample was etched by ion sputtering from the surface of the Al layer toward the p-type portion or the n-type portion. Cs+ was used for ion sputtering, and Bi3+ was used as the primary ion for TOF-SIMS. From the results of TOF-SIMS, the concentration of Al in the thickness direction of each sample was obtained. FIG. shows the results regarding Samples 1 and 2, and
The electric resistivity between both ends of the Si layer having the rectangular shape in Samples 1, 2, and 4 was measured. This measurement was performed at normal temperature. Table 1 shows the results.
As shown in
When the measurement principle of TOF-SIMS is taken into consideration, in a case where the target of TOF-SIMS has the phononic crystal structure, it is conceivable that the measurement sensitivity of TOF-SIMS may not necessarily be high due to the presence of through holes in the phononic crystal structure.
As shown in
As shown in
As shown in Table 1, the electric resistivity between both ends of the Si layer in Sample 2 was 24 mΩ·cm, whereas the electric resistivity between both ends of the Si layer in Sample 1 was 5.4 mΩ·cm. The electric resistivity between both ends of the Si layer in Sample 4 was 5.8 mΩ·cm. The electric resistivity between both ends of the Si layer in Sample 1 was lower than the electric resistivity between both ends of the Si layer in Sample 4 including the Si layer not having the phononic crystal. It is suggested that, through application of the voltage between the Si layer having the phononic crystal and the Al layer, Al is diffused from the Al layer and the contact electric resistance between the Al layer and the Si layer can be significantly reduced.
Although an embodiment of the present disclosure has been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiment in any way. For example, a metal film may be provided so as to cover a phononic crystal layer, such as in a form in which a phononic crystal layer is provided in an upper part of a metal film. Thus, the depth direction of the recesses in the phononic crystal layer is not limited to being perpendicular to the base substrate, either. The recess is not limited to a through hole, and in addition, the shape of the hole is not limited, either.
The multilayer body of the present disclosure is useful for various phononic devices, such as an infrared sensor, having a connection portion in which a phononic crystal layer and a metal layer are connected.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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2021-050677 | Mar 2021 | JP | national |
This application is a continuation of PCT/JP2022/009787 filed on Mar. 7, 2022, which claims foreign priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-050677 filed on Mar. 24, 2021, the entire contents of both of which are incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | PCT/JP2022/009787 | Mar 2022 | US |
Child | 18471081 | US |