The production of semiconductors could be set to become simpler thanks to the creation of a new technique which makes it easier to remove impurities.
Scientists from JILA, a joint institute of the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the University of Colorado, have developed a new technique for detecting contaminants found in the arsine gas used in photonics manufacturing.
This could be crucial in making the process more efficient, because as few as ten water molecules per billion molecules of arsine can cause semiconductor defects.
In turn, this can cause problems in semiconductor-based technology such as LEDs and solar panels, including reduced brightness or reliability.
The researchers state they are now working on extending the comb system even further into the infrared and aiming for parts-per-trillion sensitivity .
Earlier this year, the Semiconductor Research Corporation published a study on a new means of visualising the structure of low-k insulating materials, which could prove important in the future development of semiconductors and integrated circuits.
