Specific features and mechanisms of photoluminescence of nanostructured silicon carbide films grown on silicon in vacuum

The light-emitting properties of cubic silicon carbide films grown by vacuum vapor phase epitaxy on Si(100) and Si(111) substrates under conditions of decreased growth temperatures (T _gr ∼ 900–700°C) have been discussed. Structural investigations have revealed a nanocrystalline structure and, simultaneously, a homogeneity of the phase composition of the grown 3C-SiC films. Photoluminescence spectra of these structures under excitation of the electronic subsystem by a helium-cadmium laser (λ_excit = 325 nm) are characterized by a rather intense luminescence band with the maximum shifted toward the ultraviolet (∼3 eV) region of the spectral range. It has been found that the integral curve of photoluminescence at low temperatures of measurements is split into a set of Lorentzian components. The correlation between these components and the specific features of the crystal structure of the grown silicon carbide layers has been analyzed.     

Synchrotron investigations of electronic and atomic-structure peculiarities for silicon-oxide films’ surface layers containing silicon nanocrystals

Films obtained using molecular-beam deposition of SiO powder on c-Si (111) substrates for the purpose of SiO2 system formation with silicon nanocrystals were investigated before and after 900–1100°C annealing by photoluminescence, ultrasoft X-ray emission spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, X-ray absorption near-edge structure spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. The appearance of (111)-oriented luminescent silicon nanoclusters in considerable amounts upon annealing at T = 1000–1100°C is established in the investigated films. An anomalous phenomenon of X-ray absorption quantum yield intensity reversal for the L _2,3 elementary silicon edge is detected. Models for this phenomenon are suggested.     

Thermal stability and electronic structures of N-doped SiSb films for high temperature applications of phase-change memory

Undoped and N-doped Si_10.5Sb_89.5 films were deposited by magnetron sputtering. The X-ray diffraction spectra indicated that all of the films crystallized into crystalline Sb with a rhombohedral structure after annealing at 280°C for 3 min. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis indicated that the incorporated nitrogen combined with Si to form silicon nitride in the SiSb films. The changes in electrical resistance and thermal stability of the undoped and N-doped Si_10.5Sb_89.5 films were investigated. The crystallization temperature increased from ∼225°C to ∼250°C when 13 at.% nitrogen was added into the Si_10.5Sb_89.5 film and increased further with increasing nitrogen content. The thermal stability of the amorphous film was enhanced by nitrogen doping. The maximum temperature for 10-year retention of amorphous state of a pure Si_10.5Sb_89.5 film is ∼140°C and the temperature of N-doped Si_10.5Sb_89.5 films is even higher, which may be helpful to improve the data retention and performance of phase-change memory in high temperature applications.     

Photoluminescence of nanostructured cubic-lattice silicon carbide films grown on a silicon wafer

The light-emitting properties of cubic-lattice silicon carbide SiC films grown on Si(100) and Si(111) substrates with VPE at low temperatures (T _gr ∼ 700°C) are discussed. Investigations of the grown films reveal a homogeneous nanocrystalline structure involving only the 3C-SiC phase. When the electron subsystem of the structure is excited by a He-Cd laser emitting at λ_exit = 325 nm, the photoluminescence (PL) spectra contain a rather strong emission band shifted by about 3 eV toward a short-wave spectral region. At low temperatures, the PL integral curve is split into a set of Lorentz components. The relation between these components and the peculiarities of the energy spectrum of electrons in the nanocrystalline grains of the silicon carbide layers is discussed.     

高k栅介质应变Si SOI MOSFET的阈值电压解析模型

在结合应变Si,高k栅和SOI结构三者的优点的基础上,提出了一种新型的高k栅介质应变Si全耗尽SOI MOSFET结构.通过求解二维泊松方程建立了该新结构的二维阈值电压模型,在该模型中考虑了影响阈值电压的主要参数.分析了阈值电压与弛豫层中的Ge组分、应变Si层厚度的关系.研究结果表明阈值电压随弛豫层中Ge组分的提高和应变Si层的厚度增加而降低.此外,还分析了阈值电压与高k栅介质的介电常数和应变Si层的掺杂浓度的关系.研究结果表明阈值电压随高k介质的介 关键词： 应变Si k栅')" href="#">高k栅 短沟道效应 漏致势垒降低     

Optical modulator using metal-oxide-semiconductor type Si ring resonator

Electric-field drive optical modulators using a Si ring resonator were fabricated on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers. The fabricated resonators consisted of Si waveguides with width and thickness of 1.0 and 0.3 μm, respectively. In order to induce the linear electro-optic (EO) effect in the Si core layer, the strain was applied by covering the layer with Si₃N₄ film (0.26 μm thick) deposited by low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) at 750 °C. The vertical electric-field was applied to the Si waveguide through the top and bottom cladding layers, and the optical output from the drop port at the resonance wavelength was measured. At a wavelength of 1501.6 nm, the optical modulation of 33% was obtained at 200V (electric-field at the silicon surface ∼3 × 10⁵ V/cm, nearly the breakdown field). The resonance wavelength was shifted toward the short wavelength side by applying both positive and negative voltages, this shift was explained by carrier concentration modulation. The linear EO effect in the Si core layer was not observed, presumably because the strain in the Si core layer was too small.     

Influence of natural aging on photoluminescence from porous silicon

The influence of natural aging on the photoluminescence intensity and the position of a photolu-minescence peak in n-type por-Si (por-Si) is studied. The variation of the phase composition and the relative content of the amorphous and oxide phases of silicon in por-Si during aging is determined by fitting simulated spectra to experimental ultrasoft Si L _2,3 X-ray emission spectra using reference spectra.     

Structure and lithium ionic conduction mechanism in La4/3−yLi3yTi2O6

The solid solutions La_4/3−yLi_3yTi₂O₆ (y=0.09∼0.33) have been studied by complex impedance spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) methods. The ionic conductivity shows a maximum value at around y=0.21, and keeps high values at high y concentrations. The XRD patterns show a single phase for all concentration. The crystal structure is orthorhombic with space groupPmmm for y=0.09∼0.15 and tetragonal with space groupP4/mmm for y=0.17∼0.33. The⁷Li static NMR spectra show a main central peak with a Lorenzian shape for y=0.09∼0.21. The central peak is divided into two parts for y=0.23∼0.33. The narrow intense peak is a mobile component due to mobile ions, and a small broad central peak is due to less mobile lithium ions which contribute to immobile component. The⁷Li MAS NMR spectra show negative chemical shifts which decrease with increasing y concentration. In this paper, we discuss the conduction mechanism and the structure from the analysis of conductivity, lattice parameters, occupation, atomic positions and the⁷Li static/MAS NMR spectra.     

Porous silicon based β-FeSi2 and photoluminescence

Highly-pure iron powder was covered on porous silicon for fabricating semiconducting β-FeSi₂ structures. X-ray diffraction and Raman scattering results confirm the formation of pure-phase β-FeSi₂ after high-temperature annealing at 1100°C and then long-time persistence at 900°C. Scanning electron microscope observations reveal that large-size (>μm) β-FeSi₂ grains mainly form in the pores of porous silicon and some nanocrystals grow on local surfaces. The temperature-dependent photoluminescence spectra disclose that the observed ∼1.54 μm emission arises from free exciton recombination, which is confirmed via the activation energy (0.25 eV) measurement. Our method provides a way to synthesize single-phase β-FeSi₂ materials.     

Poly(vinylpyrrolidone)‐stabilized silver nanoparticles for strained‐silicon surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy

Poly(vinylpyrrolidone)‐stabilized silver nanoparticles deposited onto strained‐silicon layers grown on graded Si_1−xGe_x virtual substrates are utilized for selective amplification of the Si–Si vibration mode of strained silicon via surface‐enhanced Raman scattering spectroscopy. This solution‐based technique allows rapid, highly sensitive and accurate characterization of strained silicon whose Raman signal would usually be overshadowed by the underlying bulk SiGe Raman spectra. The analysis was performed on strained silicon samples of thickness 9, 17.5 and 42 nm using a 488 nm Ar⁺ micro‐Raman excitation source. The quantitative determination of strained‐silicon enhancement factors was also made. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

同步辐射掠出射X射线荧光分析薄膜膜厚

掠射X射线荧光分析为薄层和多层膜特性分析提供了潜在的可能. 尤其是可以探测膜层厚度、界面形貌和组成. 以北京同步辐射光源作激发光源, 采用掠出射方法测试了Si基片上不同厚度的单层Cr膜样品, 测试结果与理论计算基本符合. 同时观察到一定厚度的薄膜样品产生的掠出射X射线荧光的干涉现象.     

Size control of Si nanocrystals by two-step rapid thermal annealing of sputtered Si-rich oxide/SiO2 superlattice

Controllable size of silicon (Si) nanocrystals can be achieved by a two-step rapid thermal annealing technique consisting of rapid annealing at 1000°C in nitrogen ambient and rapid oxidation at 600–800°C of a radio frequency magnetron co-sputtered Si-rich oxide/SiO₂ superlattice structure. The photoluminescence (PL) spectra related to Si nanocrystals were observed in the visible range (600–900 nm). After rapid oxidation, the size of the nanocrystals was reduced and the quality of the Si nanocrystal/SiO₂ interface was improved, resulting in a blue shift and an increase of the PL peak intensity. Finally, annealing in air increases the PL intensity further.     

Physics of fluctuation processes in downscaled silicon MOSFETs

Physical mechanics of fluctuation processes in advanced submicron and decananometer MOSFETs (metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors) including the ultra-thin film SOI (siliconon-insulator) devices using strained silicon films are reviewed. The review is substantially based on the results obtained by the authors. It is shown that the following drastic changes occur in the nature and parameters of noise in such devices as a result of their downscaling when the gate oxide thickness and the channel length and width are decreased, the SOI substrates are used, the silicon film thickness is reduced, the film doping level is varied, the strained silicon films are employed, etc. Firstly, the Lorentzian components can appear in the current noise spectra. Those components are due to (i) electron tunneling from the valence band through the gate oxide in the SOI MOSFETs of a sufficiently thin gate oxide (LKE-Lorentzians); (ii) Nyquist fluctuations generated in the source and drain regions near the back Si/SiO₂ interface in the SOI MOSFETs (BGI Lorentzians); (iii) electron exchange between the channel and some single trap in the gate oxide of the transistors with sufficiently small length and width of the channel (RTS Lorentzians). Secondly, the 1/f-noise level can increase due to (i) the appearance of recombination processes near the Si/SiO₂ interface activated by the currents of electron tunneling from the valence band; (ii) an increase in the trap density in the gate oxide of the devices fabricated on the biaxially tensile-strained silicon films; (iii) the contribution of the 1/f fluctuations of the current flowing through the gate oxide as a result of electron tunneling from the conduction band. At the same time, the 1/f-noise level may decrease due to a decrease in the trap density in the gate oxide of the transistors fabricated on the uniaxially tensile-strained silicon films. Moreover, a 1/f ^1.7 component may appear in the noise spectra for the transistors of a sufficiently thin gate oxide, whose component is due to charge fluctuations on the defects located near the interface between the gate polysilicon and the gate oxide.     

Photoluminescence and field-emission properties of Cu-doped SnO2 nanobelts

By using a thermal evaporation and condensation method, Cu-doped SnO₂ nanobelts were synthesized on silicon substrate. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy studies of Cu-doped SnO₂ nanobelts demonstrate that the nanobelts are single-crystal structures and Cu is homogeneously doped into the SnO₂ lattice. X-ray diffraction further confirmed the single-phase nature of these nanobelts. The photoluminescence measurements of the nanobelts and samples annealed in oxygen were measured from 77 K to 300 K. Field-emission measurements demonstrated that the Cu-doped nanobelts possessed good performance with a turn-on field of ∼2.9 V/μm and a threshold field of ∼4.8 V/μm.     

Aluminum-assisted crystallization and <Emphasis Type="Italic">p</Emphasis>-type doping of polycrystalline Si

Aluminum-doped p-type polycrystalline silicon thin films have been synthesized on glass substrates using an aluminum target in a reactive SiH₄+Ar+H₂ gas mixture at a low substrate temperature of 300 °C through inductively coupled plasma-assisted RF magnetron sputtering. In this process, it is possible to simultaneously co-deposit Si–Al in one layer for crystallization of amorphous silicon, in contrast to the conventional techniques where alternating metal and amorphous Si layers are deposited. The effect of aluminum target power on the structural and electrical properties of polycrystalline Si films is analyzed by X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and Hall-effect analysis. It is shown that at an aluminum target power of 100 W, the polycrystalline Si film features a high crystalline fraction of 91%, a vertically aligned columnar structure, a sheet resistance of 20.2 kΩ/□ and a hole concentration of 6.3×10¹⁸ cm⁻³. The underlying mechanism for achieving the semiconductor-quality polycrystalline silicon thin films at a low substrate temperature of 300 °C is proposed.     

X-ray spectral analysis of the degradation of Au/Si interphase boundaries in air

The dependence on the energy of primary electrons of the form of the ultrasoft x-ray Si L _2,3 and Au N _6,7 emission bands is studied in Au/Si structures interacting with the oxygen in air. A method for quantitatively estimating the phase chemical composition and its depth distribution was used, based on an analysis of the shape of the bands and employing the most general integral form for the dependence of the intensity of the x-ray spectra on the energy of the primary electrons. Oxidation was found to cause diffusion of silicon atoms to the surface and produce a fundamental change in the phase composition of the structures that were studied. A characteristic feature of the structure of all the samples was the appearance on their surface of a relatively thick layer of SiO₂, whose thickness depends on the initial phase composition of the Au/Si interface. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 2101–2105 (November 1997)     

Backscattering of low-energy (0–8 eV) electrons by a silicon surface

An experimental apparatus and method for investigating elastic and inelastic backscattering (180°) of low-energy (0–8 eV) monoenergetic electrons by a solid surface are described and the first results are presented for the reflection of electrons by samples of pure single-crystalline silicon with a polished surface (Si), doped p-type single-crystalline silicon with a porous surface (Si-p) as well as H₂O and H₂O₂ passivated porous samples, Si-p + H₂O and Si-p + H₂O₂. A structure due to the excitation of surface plasmons has been observed for the first time in the loss spectra. Features corresponding to a resonance excited state of molecular nitrogen adsorbed on the surface of porous silicon have been observed in the constant residual energy spectra. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 67, 103–108 (May 1997)     

Phase transformation of Ni/Si thin films induced by nanoindentation and annealing

Thin Ni/Si films are prepared by depositing a Ni layer with a thickness of 100 nm on a Si (100) substrate. The as-deposited thin-film specimens are indented to a maximum depth of 500 nm using a nanoindentation technique and are then annealed at temperatures of 200°C, 300°C, 500°C and 800°C for 2 min. The microstructural changes and phases induced in the various specimens are observed using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and micro-Raman scattering spectroscopy (RSS). Based on the load-displacement data obtained in the nanoindentation tests, the hardness and Young’s modulus of the as-deposited specimens are found to be 13 GPa and 177 GPa, respectively. The microstructural observations reveal that the nanoindentation process prompts the transformation of the indentation-affected zone of the silicon substrate from a diamond cubic structure to a mixed structure comprising amorphous phase and metastable Si III and Si XII phases. Following annealing at temperatures of 200∼500°C, the indented zone contains either a mixture of amorphous phase and Si III and Si XII phases, or Si III and Si XII phases only, depending on the annealing temperature. In addition, the annealing process prompts the formation of nickel silicide phases at the Ni/Si interface or within the indentation zone. The composition of these phases depends on the annealing temperature. Specifically, Ni₂Si is formed at a temperature of 200°C, NiSi is formed at a temperature of 300°C and 500°C, and NiSi₂ is formed at 800°C.