Atomera Inc (ATOM)

[Theo]

New Event -- Media Alert: Atomera Highlights MST® as a Toolbox for Engineering Silicon Virtual Substrates at 2025 CINT Annual User Meeting

WHEN: September 15 & 16, 2025

WHERE: Santa Fe Convention Center

Marek Hytha, Atomera Chief Scientist, will present research on Mears Silicon Technology™ (MST®) — technology that enhances the performance of silicon-based semiconductor devices by inserting ultra-thin layers of oxygen into silicon wafers — as an atomic-scale substrate engineering platform enabling new frontiers in beyond-CMOS applications.

With adjustable layer count, spacing and composition, MST can be precisely engineered to enhance key semiconductor properties, including diffusion blocking, variability, mobility, gate leakage and reliability across GaN-on-Si, piezoelectric and spintronic applications. The poster will cover:

MST Substrate for GaN-on-Si Epitaxy
Building on its successful use in CMOS and RF-SOI devices, MST grown on Si (111) substrates is now being explored as a virtual substrate for GaN-on-Si Epitaxy to improve material quality and device performance, reduce leakage current and provide higher breakdown voltage for RF and power applications.

MST Piezoelectric Substrate

The oxygen atoms in MST form polar Si–O–Si dipoles. These dipoles, while randomly oriented in their as-grown state, can be aligned through applied electric fields and mechanical stress. This alignment induces net polarization, effectively generating a measurable piezoelectric effect in an otherwise non-piezoelectric silicon, opening pathways for integrating piezoelectric functions directly into standard silicon chips.

MST-Mn Diluted Magnetic Semiconductor Virtual Substrate for Spintronics

MST enables spintronic applications by supporting stable, room-temperature diluted magnetic semiconductors (DMS) in silicon. With uniform distribution of elements like manganese (Mn), MST is expected to provide efficient spin injection and carrier-mediated ferromagnetism, unlocking next-gen devices like MRAM and spin-LEDs for energy-efficient computing.