Modifying material parameters of a nanoscale device post-fabrication
AssigneeInternational Business Machines Corporation
InventorsIason Giannopoulos, Abu Sebastian, Vara S. P. Jonnalagadda
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Abstract
Embodiments of the invention are directed to a method to modify material properties of a functional material of a nanoscale device post-fabrication. The method includes performing one or more conditioning steps. The conditioning steps include applying electrical conditioning signals of predefined form to the nanoscale device, thereby performing an in-situ heating of the functional material and inducing thermally a displacement of atoms, molecules or ions of the functional material of the nanoscale device. Embodiments of the invention further concerns a related electronic device.
Claims20
A method to modify material properties of a functional material of a nanoscale device post-fabrication, the method comprising:
- performing one or more conditioning steps, the conditioning steps comprising:
- applying electrical conditioning signals of predefined form to the semiconductor device, thereby performing an in-situ heating of the functional material;
- and
- inducing thermally a displacement of atoms, molecules or ions of the functional material of the nanoscale device in the functional material.
A method to fabricate a nanoscale semiconductor device, the method comprising:
- providing a semiconductor wafer;
- performing an initial thermal oxidation of the semiconductor wafer with a thermal budget of more than 300 degree Celsius;
- fabricating a plurality of nanoscale semiconductor devices on the wafer with a thermal budget of less than 300 degree Celsius;
- and
- performing one or more conditioning steps comprising:
- applying electrical conditioning signals of predefined form to the semiconductor device, thereby performing an in-situ heating of the functional material in a predefined heating area to a temperature of more than 300 degree Celsius;
- and
- inducing thermally a displacement of atoms, molecules or ions of the functional material of the device in the predefined heating area.
An electronic device comprising a nanoscale device, the electronic device comprising control circuitry configured to perform one or more conditioning steps to modify material properties of a functional material of the nanoscale device post-fabrication, the conditioning steps comprising:
- applying electrical conditioning signals of predefined form to the nanoscale device, thereby performing an in-situ heating of the functional material;
- and
- inducing thermally a displacement of atoms, molecules or ions of the functional material of the device.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.