Karuppannan Senthil Kumar, Kwek Joven, Chanu Sapam Ranjita, Mukherjee Manas
National Quantum Federated Foundry (NQFF), Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE), Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), 2 Fusionopolis Way, Innovis Building #08-03, Singapore 138634, Republic of Singapore.
Centre for Quantum Technologies, National University Singapore, Singapore 117543, Republic of Singapore.
ACS Omega. 2025 Aug 7;10(32):36644-36651. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.5c05772. eCollection 2025 Aug 19.
We report a catalytic cleaning method for aluminum-based ceramic substrates, including aluminum nitride (AlN) and alumina (AlO), to enhance the performance of high-frequency, low-noise electronic devices. These ceramic materials are widely used in high-power and RF electronics due to their excellent thermal and insulating properties. However, conventional surface processing techniques, such as laser micromachining and diamond polishing, often introduce carbon-based impurities and defects, particularly in thin substrates (<100 μm), that degrade device performance by increasing dielectric loss. Using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), we confirmed the presence of aluminum carbide (AlC) and other surface contaminants on untreated AlN substrates. The proposed catalytic cleaning method, conducted in a hydrogen-rich atmosphere, effectively removes these impurities and restores surface integrity. Comparative analysis of cleaned and uncleaned samples revealed a substantial reduction in dielectric loss following treatment. This improvement in surface quality directly enhances the performance of devices operating at radio frequencies (RF) and microwave frequencies. It is especially valuable for applications in quantum electronics, where low noise and high interface quality are critical. Our findings provide a practical and scalable approach to optimizing ceramic substrate surfaces, contributing to the development of more reliable and efficient next-generation electronic systems.
我们报告了一种用于氮化铝（AlN）和氧化铝（AlO）等铝基陶瓷基板的催化清洁方法，以提高高频、低噪声电子设备的性能。这些陶瓷材料因其优异的热性能和绝缘性能而广泛应用于高功率和射频电子领域。然而，传统的表面处理技术，如激光微加工和金刚石抛光，常常会引入碳基杂质和缺陷，特别是在薄基板（<100μm）中，这些杂质和缺陷会通过增加介电损耗来降低器件性能。通过X射线光电子能谱（XPS），我们证实了未处理的AlN基板上存在碳化铝（AlC）和其他表面污染物。所提出的催化清洁方法在富氢气氛中进行，有效地去除了这些杂质并恢复了表面完整性。对清洁和未清洁样品的对比分析表明，处理后介电损耗大幅降低。表面质量的这种改善直接提高了在射频（RF）和微波频率下工作的器件的性能。这对于量子电子学应用尤其有价值，在量子电子学中，低噪声和高界面质量至关重要。我们的研究结果提供了一种优化陶瓷基板表面的实用且可扩展的方法，有助于开发更可靠、高效的下一代电子系统。
