Technology

Phiar Corporation is developing components for true monolithic integration of high-frequency electronic and electromagnetic-wave functions onto silicon chips and other substrates. Phiar’s metal-insulator technology replaces costly hybrid semiconductors, and extends the functions to higher frequencies. Phiar is implementing this concept as practical components – diodes, detectors, transistors, varactors, modulators – to provide a full suite of low cost, ultra-fast, integrated components for building high-frequency electronic and terahertz wave circuits and systems.

Phiar’s technology uses only amorphous thin metal and insulator films, enabling the manufacture of structures coated directly onto CMOS or other electronic substrates (prior to packaging) for low cost, monolithic integration.

The devices are designed to operate from DC to 3 THz.

Table 1: An overview of features and benefits of Phiar's technology.

Features	Benefits
DC to 3 THz operation	Enables a host of applications from radar and communications to imaging and spectroscopy.
Thin films, small device sizes	CMOS foundry-friendly manufacturing using existing tools. Lithography requires modest resolution of 300 nm.
Low-temperature fabrication, amorphous films	Adding Phiar’s devices to existing electronics will not harm the underlying circuitry. No epitaxial growth or flip-chip assembly required. No lattice-mismatch issues.
No exotic materials or processes	Further lowers cost: low materials costs are the third primary cost reduction benefit of Phiar’s technology along with integrity with digital CMOS, and foundry manufacturing.
Low voltage operation	Modest (typically < 0.5 volt) bias points further ease integration with other electronic subsystems.