Fast Fab – Integrated growth, fabrication and characterisation


In much research, and even in much of the CS industry, growth and fabrication are separately optimised leading to non-optimum devices and systems. We will optimise the combined process using multiple growth and fabrication runs and also add in-line fast fab.


Fast fab is the process of using structures that are representative of the fully fabricated device performance but based on a much quicker, cut down fabrication process. They therefore allow rapid feedback to growth and fabrication eliminating complex fabrication and test procedures yet allowing clear insight into the limiting issues. We will seek generic approaches to widen application and disseminate to the broader research and production community. This will lead to a systematic approach to the science and engineering of fast-fab for CS for the first time. We will develop protocols for such processes across a range of device types in both a research and an industrial scale foundry. This will also shorten the time for taking basic research to impact.

Another major strand is studying degradation, with the need to develop an understanding of reliability issues and degradation processes and the role of the growth and fabrication sequences. In addition, we will establish and control yield and uniformity targets, both within wafers, from wafer to wafer and from batch to batch across different wafer platforms (from 100mm to 200mm). This is part of developing a viable manufacturing platform and the associated Foundry Design Rules and also includes process monitors and the associated fast fab. characterization concepts, systems and supporting models.