Trends in semiconductor defect engineering at the nanoscale

Defect engineering involves manipulating the type, concentration, spatial distribution, or mobility of defects within a crystalline solid. Defect engineering in semiconductors has become much more sophisticated in recent years, driven by the need to control material properties at small length scales. The present article describes recent trends in defect engineering across several nano-oriented applications, beginning with Si-based integrated circuits and extending into non-Si microelectronics and especially into oxide semiconductors for sensors and photocatalysis. Special focus fixes upon physical mechanisms that have been little exploited up to now, but show significant promise as new means for controlling defect behavior, including low-energy ion bombardment, surface chemistry, and photostimulation. Systems-based methods for parameter estimation offer considerable promise for helping to understand the complex diffusion and reaction networks that characterize defect behavior in most prospective applications.