Semiconductor silicon at the threshold of twenty-first century

Abstract

The strategy of the further development of silicon technology in the near future is analyzed in light of the problems of semiconductor electronics. The main tendencies in synthesis of dislocation-free single crystals of large dimensions with a controlled concentration of microdefects are considered. Promising directions of future development of the technology for manufacturing thin epitaxial films, including Si1−xGex Si heteroepitaxial films with low dislocation concentrations, are discussed. Considerable attention is paid to the prospects for technologies used in synthesis of high-quality silicon-on-insulator structures. The problems of silicon-based optoelectronics associated with manufacturing device structures for highly efficient radiation sources are analyzed in terms of materials science. The characteristic features of the present state in technology and materials science of silicon, the most important semiconductor material, are discussed.