科技部新聞稿

大面積單晶技術大突破-晶圓尺寸超薄絕緣體

台積電與交大聯手登上國際頂尖期刊《自然》

日期：2020年3月17日

發稿單位：自然科學及永續研究發展司

聯絡人：郭廷洋助理研究員

電話：(02)2737-7465

 Email：tykuo@nstc.gov.tw

在科技部「尖端晶體材料開發及製作計畫」長期支持下，國立交通大學(交大)的研究團隊與台灣積體電路製造股份有限公司(台積電)合作組成的聯合研究團隊，在共同進行單原子層氮化硼的合成技術上有重大突破，成功開發出大面積晶圓尺寸的單晶氮化硼之成長技術，未來將有機會應用在先進邏輯製程技術，傑出的基礎科學研究成果於今年(2020) 3月榮登於全球頂尖學術期刊《自然》（Nature）。

為了提升半導體矽晶片的效能，積體電路中的電晶體尺寸不斷地微縮，目前即將達到傳統半導體材料的物理極限。也因此全球科學家不斷地探索新的材料，以解決電晶體微縮所面臨的瓶頸。二維原子層半導體材料，厚度僅有0.7奈米，是目前已知解決電晶體微縮瓶頸的方案之一。然而，僅有原子層厚度二維半導體，如何使電子在裡面傳輸而不受鄰近材料的干擾便成為重要的關鍵技術。單原子層的氮化硼(boron nitride; BN)，只有一個原子厚度，是目前自然界最薄的絕緣層，也是被證明可以有效阻隔二維半導體不受鄰近材料干擾的重要材料。然而，過去的技術一直無法在晶圓上合成高品質單晶的單原子層氮化硼。此次台積電李連忠博士與交大張文豪教授所帶領的聯合研究計畫中，論文主要作者台積電陳則安博士成功實現晶圓尺寸的單原子層氮化硼，並結合二維半導體，展示優異的電晶體特性。計畫成功的關鍵在於研究團隊不僅專注於尖端技術的開發，並從基礎科學的角度出發，找到氮化硼分子沉積在銅晶體表面的物理機制，進而達成晶圓尺寸單晶氮化硼的生長技術。這個困難度相當於將人以小於0.5公尺的間距整齊排列在整個地球表面上。

台灣科技產業的發展，必須要倚賴有堅實的基礎科學研究做為後盾。「尖端晶體材料開發及製作計畫」是科技部有鑑於先進材料是科技發展之根本，長年投入資源扶植臺灣在新穎材料的開發，所建立之研究平臺。近年來在基礎科學研究與產業相關應用，有相當豐碩之成果。此次台積電與交通大學的聯合研究成果，是國內產業與學校合作登上全球頂尖學術期刊《自然》的首例，對於產業與學校共同進行基礎研究具有指標性意義，也體現科技部「尖端晶體材料開發及製作計畫」初衷。

論文名稱：〈Wafer-scale single-crystal hexagonal boron nitride monolayers on Cu (111)〉(https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2009-2)
 

研究成果聯絡人

張文豪教授

國立交通大學電子物理學系（所）

電話：03-5712121*56111

Email：whchang@mail.nctu.edu.tw

Press Release

March 17, 2020

Wafer-scale one-atom-thick insulating layer ― TSMC and NCTU collaborative works published on 《Nature》

Under long-term support from the “Taiwan Consortium of Emergent Crystalline Materials” (TCECM) program of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), Taiwan, a research team at National Chiao Tung University (NCTU) collaborated with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) to form an industry-university joint research team, reporting a breakthrough in the synthesis of one-atom-thick boron nitride (BN). The joint research team successfully developed a method to synthesize wafer-scale and single-crystal BN, which may be applied toward the fabrication of advanced logic integrated circuits. This outstanding fundamental research result was published in the top journal ⟪Nature⟫ in March 2020.

The semiconductor industry continues to push forward in scaling down the size of transistors to boost the efficiency of IC chips. However, silicon transistors are reaching their physical limits as it becomes difficult for electrons to travel through channels only a few nanometers thick. That is why scientists around the globe are trying to find new materials to continue transistor scaling. Two-dimensional (2D) materials, which are crystalline sheets of atoms (only approximately 0.7 nm thick) with flat surfaces free from defects, can enable electrons to flow freely through atomically thin channels. Therefore, 2D semiconductors (such as molybdenum disulfide, MoS2) are considered promising candidates to overcome this bottleneck to transistor shrinking. While electrons can flow well in 2D semiconductors, they still need 2D insulators to prevent disturbances from adjacent materials. One atomic layer thick boron nitrides (BN), the thinnest insulator in nature, has been found to be an ideal material to block such disturbances. However, previous approaches found it hard to synthesize high-quality, single-crystal and wafer-scale BN for practical applications. Under a joint research project led by Dr. Lain-Jong Li at TSMC and Prof. Wen-Hao Chang at NCTU, the paper lead author Dr. Tse-An Chen (TSMC) successfully identified a way to synthesize BN one atomic layer thick on a 2 inches wafer and demonstrated its usefulness in improving the performance of transistors made of 2D semiconductors. This success goes beyond technology development to explore fundamental research, finding the underlying physics of BN molecules on a copper surface, and eventually achieving the technology to form single-crystal BN on a full wafer.

Establishing a solid base of fundamental research is crucial for the future advance of the high-tech industry in Taiwan. The success of this joint research project also represents a milestone for industry-university collaboration in the research of fundamental science in Taiwan and meets the objectives of the TCECM program.

Media Contact

Professor Wen-Hao Chang

Department of Electrophysics, National Chiao-Tung University

TEL: 03-5712121*56111

Email：whchang@mail.nctu.edu.tw

Dr. Ting-Yang Kuo

Department of Natural Sciences and Sustainable Development,

Ministry of Science and Technology

TEL: 02-27377465

Email: tykuo@nstc.gov.tw