The thermal oxidation of silicon the special case of the growth of very thin films

The thermal oxidation of silicon is generally modelled by Deal and Grove's theory based on the assumption that the oxygen molecules dissolve in silicon in interstitial positions and migrate to the Si-SiO₂ interface where they react with the silicon substrate. Experimental results for oxidation in dry oxygen agree with this theory only for thick oxide films. The growth of very thin oxide films exhibits particular features which are discussed in this paper. For these films, the growth mechanism is different from that of thick films; this difference is possibly associated with the transport of oxygen atoms through the silica network. The effect of hydrogenated impurities is also discussed.     

Structural properties and current transport in a nanocomposite formed on a silicon surface by oxidation of the porous layer

The possibility of obtaining a Si-SiO₂ nanocomposite layer by oxidation of porous silicon is demonstrated. The nanocomposite thus prepared consists of silicon oxide with inclusions of crystalline silicon in the form of rounded particles 5 to 30 nm in diameter and a filamentary cellular structure with filaments a few nanometers thick. The I-V characteristics of these structures were measured under different sample excitation conditions (photo-and thermal stimulation). The trap concentration and effective carrier mobility are estimated. Carriers are found to be captured intensely by traps created in the large-area interface in the composite structure.     

Mobility of holes and density of states at Si-SiO2 interfaces

An investigation was made of the Hall and conductivity mobilities of holes in an inversion channel, and the C-V as well as G-V characteristics of Al-SiO₂-Si structures were recorded. It was established that the technology of fabrication of MIS structures influenced the parameters of the Si-SiO₂ interface. It was found that chemodynamic polishing of silicon plates before oxidation improved significantly the properties of the Si-SiO₂ interface. A relationship was found between the density of the surface states (N_ss) and the mobility of holes in an inversion channel. It was found that the high mobility of holes at the channel opening threshold was mainly due to a reduction in N_ss at the Si-SiO₂ interface and in the insulator near this Si-SiO₂ interface. In addition to the phonon scattering mechanism, the scattering by the charge in the surface states at the Si-SiO₂ interface also played an important role.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 12, pp. 44–48, December, 1980.     

Electronic energy structure of vacancy and divacancy in SiO2

We investigated electronic energy structure of vacancy and divacancy in SiO₂, and found that oxygen vacancy and divacancy give rise to bound-states near the edge of the conduction band, whereas localized states related to the silicon vacancy occur in the valence band. Our results demonstrate that the doubly occupied oxygen vacancy state yields electrons to silicon in Si-SiO₂ junction and serves as a fixed oxide charge.     

ESR study on radiation chemical processes in polyvinyl alcohol films at 77°k

Abstract

Trapped electrons (e_t ^?) were detected in irradiated PVA films at 77°K. Yield of e_t ^? was decreased as evaporating water from the films, indicating that water molecules contribute to construct pre-existing traps in the polymer. The radical produced at 77°K was identified as a precursor of the radical produced at room temperature.     

Charge transport mechanism in thin films of amorphous and ferroelectric Hf0.5Zr0.5O2

The charge transport mechanism in thin amorphous and ferroelectric Hf_0.5Zr_0.5O₂ films has been studied. It has been shown that the transport mechanism in studied materials does not depend on the crystal phase and is phonon-assisted tunneling between traps. The comparison of the experimental current–voltage characteristics of TiN/Hf_0.5Zr_0.5O₂/Pt structures with the calculated ones provides the trap parameters: thermal energy of 1.25 eV and the optical energy of 2.5 eV. The trap concentration has been estimated as ~10¹⁹–10²⁰ cm^–3.     

Electrons diffusion study on the nitrogen-doped nanocrystalline diamond film grown by MPECVD method

Nitrogen-doped nanocrystalline diamond (NNCD) films were deposited onto p-type silicon substrates with three different layer structures: (i) directly onto the silicon substrate (NNCD/Si), (ii) silicon with undoped nanocrystalline diamond layer which was deposited in the same way as the above mentioned NNCD by the recipe Ar/CH₄/H₂ with a ratio of 98%/1%/1% (NNCD/NCD/Si), and (iii) silicon wafer with 100 nm thickness SiO₂ layer (NNCD/SiO₂/Si). Atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy were employed to characterize the morphology and microstructure of the as-grown nitrogen-doped diamond films. Silver colloid/silver contacts were made at to measure the current-voltage (I-V) characteristics for the three different structures. Electrons from a CVD reactor hydrogen plasma diffuse toward the p-type silicon substrate during a deposition process under the high temperature (∼800 °C). The study concluded that the SiO₂ layer could effectively prevents the diffusion of electrons.     

Features of the structure and defect states in hydrogenated polymorphous silicon films

The structural and electronic properties of thin hydrogenated polymorphous silicon films obtained by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition from hydrogen (H₂) and monosilane (SiH₄) gas mixture have been studied by means of transmission electron microscopy, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, and Raman spectroscopy. It has been established that the studied films consist of the amorphous phase containing silicon nanocrystalline inclusions with the average size on the order of 4–5 nm and the volume fraction of 10%. A signal was observed in the hydrogenated polymorphous silicon films during the EPR investigation that is attributed to the electrons trapped in the conduction band tail of microcrystalline silicon. It has been shown that the introduction of a small fraction of nanocrystals into the amorphous silicon films nonadditively changes the electronic properties of the material.     

Electrical and optical properties of light-emitting field-effect transistors based on MEH-PPV polymer composite films with ZnO nanoparticles

The optical and electrical properties of light-emitting field-effect transistor structures with an active layer based on nanocomposite films containing zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles dispersed in the matrix of the soluble conjugated polymer MEH-PPV have been investigated. It has been found that the current-voltage characteristics of the field-effect transistor based on MEH-PPV: ZnO films with a composite component ratio of 2: 1 have an ambipolar character, and the mobilities of electrons and holes in these structures at a temperature of 300 K reach high values up to ～1.2 and ～1.4 cm²/V s, respectively, which are close to the mobilities in fieldeffect transistors based on ZnO films. It has been shown that the ambipolar field-effect transistor based on MEH-PPV: ZnO films emits light at both positive and negative gate bias voltages. The mechanisms of injection, charge carrier transport, and radiative recombination in the studied structures have been discussed.     

Photosensitive field-effect transistor based on a composite film of polyvinylcarbazole with nickel nanoparticles

The electronic and optoelectronic properties of field-effect transistor structures with an active layer based on composite films of a semiconducting polymer, namely, polyvinylcarbazole (PVC), with nickel nanoparticles have been investigated. It has been shown that these structures at low nickel concentrations (5–10 wt %) possess current-voltage characteristics that indicate an ambipolar transport. For the field-effect transistor structures based on PVC: Ni (Ni ～ 5 wt %) films, the mobilities of electrons and holes are found to be ～1.3 and ～1.9 cm²/V s, respectively. It has been established that the photosensitivity observed in these structures is associated with the specific features of transport in the film of the polymer with nickel nanoparticles. The mechanism of this transport is determined by the modulation of electrical conductivity of the working channel of the field-effect transistor by applying a combination of incident light and gate voltages.     

Photoinjection phenomena in a silicon-silcon dioxide system

Silicon-silicon dioxide structures obtained by thermal, anodic, and chemical oxidation of silicon are studied by the photocharge and photoinjection current methods. It is shown that the extent of the fluctuation state tails" near the edges of the SiO₂ forbidden zone is small (0.2 eV). The threshold for negative photocharging of anodic oxide traps is found to decrease with increase in oxide thickness, a fact related to the existence of a nonstoichiometric transition layer between the silicon and silicon dioxide. The effect of hydration and dehydration on negative optical charge of oxide traps is studied, and it is shown that the basis of electron traps is formed by the most hydrated and deformed SiO₄H_n tetrahedra. The possibility of creating electron and hole traps in the oxide layer by doping with metal ions from a solution is demonstrated. It is found that the corresponding defects are also adsorption centers for water molecules by a coordination mechanism.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 7, pp. 3–7, July, 1981.In conclusion, the authors thank V. F. Kiselev for his interest in the study and valuable remarks.     

Microscopic observation of lateral diffusion at Si-SiO2 interface by photoelectron emission microscopy using synchrotron radiation

The lateral surface diffusion at Si-SiO₂ interface has been observed at nanometer scale using photoelectron emission microscopy (PEEM) combined with synchrotron soft X-ray excitation. The samples investigated were Si-SiO_x micro-patterns prepared by O₂⁺ ion implantation in Si (0 0 1) wafer using a mask. The lateral spacial resolution of the PEEM system was about 41 nm. The brightness of each spot in the PEEM images changed depending on the photon energy around the Si K-edge, in proportion to the X-ray absorption intensity of the corresponding valence states. It was found that the lateral diffusion occurs by 400-450 °C lower temperature than that reported for the longitudinal diffusion at the Si-SiO₂ interface. It was also found that no intermediate valence states such as SiO (Si²⁺) exist at the Si-SiO₂ interface during the diffusion. The observed differences between lateral and longitudinal diffusion are interpreted by the sublimated property of silicon monoxide (SiO).     

Electroluminescence in SiO<Subscript>2</Subscript> layers in various structures

Electroluminescence (EL) in an electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor system is used to study oxide layers in Si-SiO₂-Si₃N₄ and Si-SiO₂ structures prepared using various techniques. The EL spectra of all the structures contained the 2.7-eV emission band characteristic of the radiative relaxation of excited sililene centers. A comparative study of the conditions conducive to the formation of such luminescence centers in various structures containing SiO₂ layers was made, and their nature was refined.     

A model for phosphorus segregation at the silicon-silicon dioxide interface

A new model for phosphorus segregation at the Si-SiO₂ interface is derived and verified by experimental data. The model considers for the first time, a third phase, the interface layer itself, in addition to the Si and SiO₂ phases, and the dynamics of the three-phase system is described in terms of rate equations. In particular, the phosphorus compound formation in the interface layer (phosphorus pile-up), which renders the dopant electrically inactive to a large extent, is described as a competition of the dopant in silicon and in silicon dioxide in filling and depleting a constant density of interface traps. Our model allows an unambiguous correlation of the dopant concentration on both sides of the interface with the integral dose of the interface phosphorus pile-up. Experimental data for different phosphorus concentrations, different temperatures, and different oxidation ambients, including inert anneals, are fitted by a single curve.     

Holographic recording media based on polymer compositions with Fe<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript>, ZnO,and CdS nanoparticles

We investigated the influence of additions of Fe₂O₃, ZnO, and CdS nanoparticles in films of holographic recording media based on photosemiconductors (oligomers and co-oligomers of glycidyl carbazole) and a dielectric (copolymer of styrol with octylmethacrylate) that contain an organic compound with intramolecular charge transfer as a sensitizer of photoconductivity in the visible and near-IR regimes on their photoconducting and thermoplastic properties. The photoconduction current for light wavelengths larger than the red boundary of absorption of the nanoparticles is determined by the photogeneration of charge carriers from the sensitizer molecules and by their transport inside and between nanoparticles. The increase in the photosensitivity of films on addition of nanoparticles is attributed to the appearance of an additional channel for the transport of the electrons generated from the photogeneration centers. A new difference between the rheological properties of the films based on organic photosemiconductors and dielectrics has been revealed. __________ Translated from Zhurnal Prikladnoi Spektroskopii, Vol. 72, No. 6, pp. 815–820, November–December, 2005.     

Passivation of defect states in Si-based and GaAs structures

Formation of defect states on semiconductor surfaces, at its interfaces with thin films and in semiconductor volumes is usually predetermined by such parameters as semiconductor growth process, surface treatment procedures, passivation, thin film growth kinetics, etc. This paper presents relation between processes leading to formation of defect states and their passivation in Si and GaAs related semiconductors and structures. Special focus is on oxidation kinetics of yttrium stabilized zirconium/SiO₂/Si and Sm/GaAs structures. Plasma anodic oxidation of yttrium stabilized zirconium based structures reduced size of polycrystalline silicon blocks localised at thin film/Si interface. Samarium deposited before oxidation on GaAs surface led to elimination of EL2 and/or ELO defects in MOS structures. Consequently, results of successful passivation of deep traps of interface region by CN⁻ atomic group using HCN solutions on oxynitride/Si and double oxide layer/Si structures are presented and discussed. By our knowledge, we are presenting for the first time the utilization of X-ray reflectivity method for determination of both density of SiO₂ based multilayer structure and corresponding roughnesses (interfaces and surfaces), respectively.     

Efficiency of Si L 2,3 x-ray generation in the SiO2/Si system by electron impact

The paper reports a study of the depth profile of the generation efficiency and escape of the ultrasoft silicon L _2,3 x-ray radiation excited by electrons of various energies. The generation function describing the excitation efficiency is the kernel of an integral equation determining the dependence of x-ray emission intensity on primary-electron energy. To determine the form of this function, a study was made of the dependence of the Si L _2,3 x-ray spectral intensity and of its silicon L _2,3 component bands, from crystalline silicon and amorphous dioxide SiO₂, on primary-electron energy in samples made from dioxide layers of various thicknesses grown on crystalline silicon. These experiments permitted investigation of the generation-function cross sections at the depth of the Si-SiO₂ interface. The theoretical simulation of the generation function made use of the simplest laws governing electron interaction with solids and of the cross section of the inner-level ionization by electron impact in its most general form. A comparison of the experimentally obtained relative contributions of the Si and SiO₂ emissions with the calculations shows them to be in good agreement up to primary-electron energies of 2–3 keV. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 40, 1932–1936 (October 1998)     

Discrete tunneling of holes in porous silicon

It is pointed out that in the partial oxidation of porous silicon (PS) formed on heavily doped crystals, the topology of the pores can result in the formation of an anisotropic material with strings of nanometersized silicon granules embedded in insulating silicon dioxide SiO₂. In this range of granule sizes the correlation effects in the tunneling of electrons (holes) are strong on account of their Coulomb interaction. This should be manifested as discrete electron and hole tunneling at temperatures comparable to room temperature. The room-temperature current-voltage characteristics of n ⁺-PSp ⁺-p ⁺ diode structures with a PS interlayer on p ⁺-Si, which exhibit current steps on the forward and reverse branches, are presented. The current steps are attributed to discrete hole tunneling along the silicon strings in SiO₂. Pis’ma Zh. éksp. Teor. Fiz. 67, No. 10, 794–797 (25 May 1998)     

Electroluminescence of Si-SiO2 structures subjected to sequential ion implantation with silicon and carbon

The electroluminescence of Si-SiO₂ structures subjected to sequential implantation with 130-and 60-keV silicon ions and 60-keV carbon ions into a silicon dioxide layer is investigated. It is found that implantation of the structures with silicon and carbon ions is responsible for the electroluminescence bands with maxima at energies of approximately 2.7 and 4.3 eV. It is assumed that these bands are associated with the formation of silylene centers. Postimplantation annealing leads to a decrease in the intensity of the observed electroluminescence bands and gives rise to a shoulder in the short-wavelength wing of the band with a maximum at 2.7 eV.