Defect spectroscopy and test devices

The demand of semiconducting material for applications in the high power and communication sector is growing rapidly. Suitable materials are compound semiconductors with physical properties superior to silicon. Some of these materials are even discussed as promising for the realization of highly sensitive quantum sensors or highly efficient quantum computers.

At the THM/IISB in Freiberg, the Fraunhofer attract group Smaragd in cooperation with the Institute of Applied Physics at Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg accelerates semiconductor material development for applications in power, communication and quantum electronics by providing customized test devices using material characterization and their design at an early stage of material development.

This expertise is accomplished by experiences in optical and electrical defect characterization on bulk crystal, wafer and thin films of a brought range of semiconductor materials. Combined with a customized design of test devices which are processed in a fully CMOS equipped clean room facility this allows a systematic correlation of the material properties with device performance and the identification of device critical defects.

Research topics / services

  • Customized design of test devices
  • Processing of test devices (e.g. GaAs, AlGaN, GaN, SiC, diamond)
  • Identification of device critical material defects and correlation with device performance
  • Characterization of crystals and epitaxial structures by defect spectroscopy (e.g. photoluminescence, Raman, FTIR spectroscopy, IV, CV measurements, and DLTS)
  • Further information
© C. Miersch / Fraunhofer IISB
SAW structures on sapphire.
© Kurt Fuchs / Fraunhofer IISB
Optical and electron microscopy.