The State Key Laboratory of Silicon Materials, originally named the State Key laboratory of High Purity Silicon and Silane, was established in 1985 with the approval and investment from the State Planning Commission of China. The Laboratory has since been a center for scientific research on silicon materials and other semiconductor materials.
The laboratory has a staff of 28, including one academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, eleven full professors, four associated professors, and two senior engineers.
The laboratory is engaged in the basic and applied research on silicon materials and other semiconductor materials in the following areas:
1. The growth of silicon crystals with large diameters, defects and impurities in the silicon materials.
2. Preparations, characterizations, and applications of silicon-based thin films
3. Composite semiconductor optoelectonic materials
4. Composite functional materials
The Laboratory aims to become an advanced laboratory in the field of silicon materials and other advanced composite semiconductor materials.
Since 1950 the laboratory has focused its attention on the research of semiconductor materials, and have made great achievements in this field. In the last ten years efforts have been made on the growth technology of silicon, the control of oxygen and carbon impurities, and the measurement of electrical properties. In recognition of our achievements we have won three National Invention Awards and more than ten Science and Technology Awards issued by Zhejiang Province or Departments of Chinese Government in our field. We have acquired more than ten patents and have published more than 300 research papers in academic journals at home and abroad. In the 1980's we invented the growth technology of Czochralski silicon under reduced pressure in a nitrogen atmosphere, which was awarded the Second National Invention Award and was considered one of the ten greatest achievements of Chinese scientific research in 1987 by "Chinese Science and Technology Daily ". This technology has been adopted in many semiconductor factories. The silicon material has been exported to USA and Europe. The value of the products amounts to more than 100 million Yuan. We have also worked together with scientists from other countries to study the behavior of nitrogen in silicon materials. We have made a series of new findings in nitrogen, nitrogen-oxygen complexes in silicon.
In recent years , the research areas in the lab have been expanded. On the one hand, we work on the silicon-based thin films and optoelectronic semiconductor materials. We built an instrument of super high vacuum chemical vapor deposition. And then we used it to grow high quality silicon epitaxy layer at a low temperature or to grow thin film material (such as GeSi, GaN) on silicon substrate. One the other hand, we are doing research on organic semiconductor materials and the compound of organic material and inorganic materials used for laser devices. We have made a great many new achievements in this areas.
The laboratory has undertaken more than sixty foundation projects in recent years, including one key project of national science foundation, one key foundation project, over forty projects of provincial and ministerial foundations, and seven projects of international collaboration. At the same time, the laboratory has also undertaken several "touch projects" from both the state and the province, with the research funding totaling tens million yuan. Among the completed projects of national science foundation, one project is evaluated as extra excellent, another one is evaluated as excellent. In addition, fifty-six projects open to the outside researchers have been approved by the academic committee of the laboratory.
After many years' efforts, the laboratory has now a series of advanced semiconductor material growth systems and analysis equipment and instruments. We have CG6000 larger diameter CZ silicon Crystal grower; innovative high vacuum CVD epitaxy system; liquid phase epitaxial system; thin film growth system by magnetron and thermal evaporation, etc. For semiconductor analysis and measurement, we have ESCAIAB MK II multifunction electron spectrometer, X-ray double crystal diffractometer, CF35 scanning microscope, SSM-350 spreading resistivity measurement system, FTIR spectrometer, etc. An advanced CM200 high resolution transmission electron microscope and a HL 5900 hall effect measurement are to be installed this year.
The laboratory has devoted much attention to the training of young scientists. It has up to now produced one postdoctoral research , more than 20 doctoral students and 50 master's students . In order to bring up more outstanding young researchers, the laboratory has not only laid its emphasis on their academic development but also paid its attention to their well-being in their life.