SEMICONDUCTORS FROM LIQUIDS

Abstract

A NOVEL SEMICONDUCTOR-processing technique based on a liquid precursor to solid silicon may one day replace traditional vapor-deposition methods for fabricating microelectronic devices. The procedure, developed by researchers in Japan, may enable the use of low-cost ink-jet printing methods to manufacture large-area displays and other advanced electronic devices. At the core of most modern microelectronic devices lies a siliconbased brain that's been painstakingly constructed via a variety of exacting and energy-intensive processes. Manufacturers often depend on procedures in which highly purified silicon is heated and vaporized in vacuum and then deposited on a support material to build up structures in a layer-by-layer fashion. The overall process generally involves multiple refining, deposition, and etching steps to convert the solid film into a functioning circuit component. Simpler approaches using liquids could capitalize on today's high-resolution printing technology to draw fine circuit featur...