PROGRESS IN EPITAXIAL INSULATORS AND METALS ON SILICON.

Research into the growth of epitaxial insulators and metals on silicon has been a fertile area of investigation for a number of years. Motivations for pursuing this line of research include its possible applicability to 3-dimensional integration, new device structures, dielectric isolation and semiconductor passivation (in the case of epitaxial insulators), and superior device metallization (in the case of epitaxial metals). From a more fundamental standpoint, these materials also offer, by virtue of their high degree of structural perfection, the opportunity to study the relationships between the atomic structure and electrical properties of both the film itself and of its interface with the substrate. There has been progress in studying the applicability of new epitaxial materials to all of these areas. In this paper some specific examples of investigations pertaining to the topics listed above will be given.