Threading dislocations in GaAs on Si grown with ∼1 nm thick Si interlayers

Threading dislocation morphologies and characteristics have been investigated in 3 m thick GaAs films with ultrathin (1 nm) Si interlayers grown by molecular beam epitaxy on tilted (2° toward [110]) Si (001) substrates using cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. Four sample structures are studied in which different numbers of ultrathin Si layers are grown at different positions in the GaAs film, and the results are compared for samples observed before and after ex situ annealing. In all of the sample structures, some mixed-type dislocations are clearly blocked by the Si interlayers, although some of them pass through these layers, resulting in propagation of their threading dislocations to the sample surface. After annealing at 900 °C for 10 s or 800 °C for 30 min, the interactions of the dislocations with the interlayers are enhanced, and there is an increase in the number of dislocations which are bent along the 110 directions at the positions of the Si barrier layers. However, a considerable number of dislocations still escape from the Si barriers by gliding on {111} slip planes during annealing. Moreover, ex situ annealing generates new edge-type dislocations through interactions between moving threading dislocations. The nature of the dislocations that cross the Si barriers is especially discussed.     

Electrical activity of dislocations: Prospects for practical utilization

The electrical activity of interfacial misfit dislocations in silicon has been examined using the electron beam induced current technique (EBIC) in a scanning electron microscope. Clean misfit dislocations, i.e. no EBIC contrast, formed during high-temperature Si(Ge) chemical vapor epitaxy were studied. These defects were subsequently decorated with known metallic impurities (Au and Ni) by diffusion at 400° C to 1130° C from a back-side evaporated layer. Qualitative analysis of the electrical activity in relation to the energy levels anticipated for the clean or decorated dislocations is presented. Of particular interest is the case of defect-induced conductivity type inversion which occurred both at the top surface and at the buried dislocated interfaces of the multilayer. The prospects for using dislocations in a beneficial manner as active elements in electronic devices are discussed.     

Studies of the promising material CoSi2 on GaAs substrates

The thermal stability of CoSi₂ thin films on GaAs substrates has been studied using a variety of techniques. The CoSi₂ thin films were formed by depositing Co(500 Å) and Si(1800 Å) layers on GaAs substrates by electron-beam evaporation followed by annealing processes, where the Si inter-layer was used as a diffusion/reaction barrier at the interface. The resistivity of CoSi₂ thin films formed is about 30 cm. The Schottky barrier height of CoSi₂/n-GaAs is 0.76 eV and the ideality factor is 1.14 after annealing at 750° C for 30 min. The CoSi₂/GaAs interface is determined to be thermally stable and the thin film morphologically uniform on GaAs after 900° C/30 s anneal. The CoSi₂ thin films fulfill the requirements in GaAs self-aligned gate technology.     

Effects of annealing temperature on the alloying behavior of the AuGe-GaAs〈100〉 interface

UV(He I) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies (UPS and XPS) were used to examine the alloying behavior of AuGe ohmic contacts to silicon-doped 100 oriented n-type GaAs substrates. The reacted interface was then revealed by Ar ion sputter depth profiling at room temperature and after annealing in ultra high vacuum at 300°, 500°, or 700°C. The indiffusion of Au and the outdiffusion of Ga and As are evident. Instead of obtaining a maximum peak of the Ge profile on annealing in forming gas, we observed an increase of Ge indiffusion with temperature. The Au indiffusion results in a decrease in the Au 5d splitting and a shift of both levels to higher binding energy. Au-Ga alloy formation is indicated by the Au 4f levels, and is further supported by the observation of the metallic Ga peak. It has been concluded that the sample annealed at 500°C forms the Au-Ga alloy and the compound of As containing Ge more easily than the samples annealed at 300° or 700°C. This result is consistent with the observations of low contact resistance at the annealing temperature of 500°C for AuNiGe ohmic contacts to n-type GaAs.     

In0.2Ga0.8As/GaAs interface revealed by an AlAs marker layer

A detailed analysis of the microstructure of layered semiconductor heterostructures is only possible if the interface between the various layers can be accurately located. Microstructural features whose characterisation is dependent on the location of the interface include the planarity and width of the layers, the composition profile and the geometry of misfit dislocations (in the particular case of lattice mismatched heterostructures). We report on an investigation to image, at high resolution in the transmission electron microscope, the interface in an In_0.2Ga_0.8As/GaAs structure grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The difficulty in locating the interface, due to similarity in electron optical behaviour of GaAs and In_0.2Ga_0.8As when imaged in a 110 direction, was overcome by incorporating into the structure a marker layer of AlAs two unit cells thick (11.4 Å in total) between the GaAs and the In_0.2Ga_0.8As layers. Lattice fringe images of an In_0.2Ga_0.8As/AlAs/GaAs structure are presented which show, at near atomic resolution, the location of the misfit dislocations relative to the In_0.2Ga_0.8As/GaAs interface.     

Electrical properties of GaAs layers irradiated by H4 ions

The quantities(D) and(T) are studied in n- and p-GaAs, irradiated at T = 300°K by H⁺ ions (5 MeV). It is shown that the resistance of lightly doped GaAs specimens increases from original values of ₀ to 10⁹ ·cm upon irradiation by H⁺ ions (5 MeV) to integral fluxes up to D^* – 10¹⁵ H⁺/cm². For D > D^* the layer resistance decreases from 10⁹ ·cm to 1 ·cm at 300°K. It was found that all the GaAs specimens intensely irradiated by H⁺ ions had p-type conductivity near 300°K. Isochronic annealing of radiation defects was studied in the temperature interval 20–700°C.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 1, pp. 39–43, January, 1982.     

CEMS Investigations of Fe-Silicide Phases Formed by the Method of Concentration Controlled Phase Selection

Conversion electron Mössbauer spectroscopy (CEMS) measurements have been made on Fe-silcide samples formed using the method of concentration controlled phase selection. To prepare the samples a 10 nm layer of Fe₃₀M₇₀ (M=Cr, Ni) was evaporated onto Si(100) surfaces, followed by evaporation of a 60 nm Fe layer. Diffusion of the Fe into the Si substrate and the formation of different Fe–Si phases was achieved by subjecting the evaporated samples to a series of heating stages, which consisted of (a) a 10 min anneal at 800°C plus etch of the residual surface layer, (b) a further 3 hr anneal at 800°C, (c) a 60 mJ excimer laser anneal to an energy density of 0.8 J/cm², and (d) a final 3 hr anneal at 800°C. CEMS measurements were used to track the Fe-silicide phases formed. The CEMS spectra consisted of doublets which, based on established hyperfine parameters, could be assigned to - or -FeSi₂ or cubic FeSi. The spectra showed that -FeSi₂ had formed already at the first annealing stage. Excimer laser annealing resulted in the formation of a phase with hyperfine parameters consistent with those of -FeSi₂. A further 3 hr anneal at 800°C resulted in complete reversal to the semiconducting -FeSi₂ phase.     

Synthesis of epitaxial γAl<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> thin films by thermal oxidation of AlN/sapphire(0001) thin films

The synthesis of epitaxial Al₂O₃ films by oxidizing AlN/sapphire(0001) films was investigated in a synchrotron X-ray scattering experiment. Porous Al₂O₃ nucleates on the surface of the AlN film when annealed above 700 °C in oxygen ambient. As the annealing temperature increases above 900 °C, the entire AlN film is oxidized into an epitaxial Al₂O₃ film that has a cubic spinel structure. With increasing oxidation temperature, more oxygen atoms are incorporated into the oxide structure, resulting in denser oxide films with a larger lattice constant. The crystal domain size increases from 50 Å to 210 Å, suggesting that the initial nucleation of the Al₂O₃ crystalline domains is followed by gradual grain growth. PACS 61.10.Eq; 81.65.Mq; 68.55.Jk; 68.35.Ct     

A slow positron lifetime study of the annealing behaviour of an amorphous silicon layer grown by MBE

We have studied MBE grown amorphous silicon, which was recrystallized at different temperatures for one hour, with a pulsed positron beam. A positron lifetime of 538±10 ps in the as-grown state is attributed to microvoids containing at least 10 vacancies. An incompletely recrystallized sample annealed at 500°C shows an additional long lifetime from ortho-positronium (o-Ps) pick-off annihilation. The o-Ps component disappears for samples, recrystallized at 700°C and above, and the defect lifetime steadily decreases with higher annealing temperature until a value of 310 ps is reached for the layer annealed at 1200°C. This value is explained by positron trapping at dislocations or small vacancy defects stabilized by dislocations or impurities.Paper presented at the 132nd WE-Heraeus-Seminar on Positron Studies of Semiconductor Defects, Halle, Germany, 29 August to 2 September 1994     

Conductivity compensation and deep traps in epitaxial n-GaAs irradiated by electrons

A study has been made of electrophysical properties and deep traps in epitaxial n-GaAs grown by the chloride method and irradiated by electrons in the temperature range (20–500)°C. It is shown that the natural conductivity of GaAs is attained at irradiation temperatures of 20°C due to the introduction of E traps, and for 300°CT_irr500°C of high-temperature P traps, presumably defect clusters.V. D. Kuznetsov Siberian Physicotechnical Institute at the State University, Tomsk. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 10, pp. 57–60, October, 1992.     

Growth of Ni2Si by rapid thermal annealing: Kinetics and moving species

The growth kinetics is characterized and the moving species is identified for the formation of Ni₂Si by Rapid Thermal Annealing (RTA) of sequentially deposited Si and Ni films on a 100 Si substrate. The interfacial Ni₂Si layer grows as the square root of time, indicating that the suicide growth process is diffusion-limited. The activation energy is 1.25±0.2 eV in the RTA temperature range of 350–450° C. The results extend those of conventional steady-state furnace annealing quite fittingly, and a common activation energy of 1.3±0.2 eV is deduced from 225° to 450° C. The marker experiment shows that Ni is the dominant moving species during Ni₂Si formation by RTA, as is the case for furnace annealing. It is concluded that the two annealing techniques induce the same growth mechanisms in Ni₂Si formation.     

Rapid thermal annealing and titanium silicide formation

Titanium silcides have been formed on monocrystalline (111) silicon substrates by rapid thermal annealing (RTA) of Ti layers deposited on Si at 700–800 °C for 1 to 240 s. The phase composition is dependent on the annealing temperature and time: at 700° and 750 °C for short annealing, TiSi and TiSi₂ are observed. At 800 °C and by increasing the exposure time at 700 ° and 750 °C, only TiSi₂ is detected. The growth of the total silicide thickness is found to be faster for RTA than for conventional furnace annealing and governed by two different mechanisms depending on the phases formed: in the range 700–750 °C, and 750–800 °C, activation-energy values of 2.6 ± 0.2 and 1.5 ±0.2 eV are found, respectively.For a thin deposited Ti layer (< 100 nm), the whole Ti is finally transformed into TiSi₂ with 20@ cm resistivity. For thicker Ti thicknesses, titanium oxide stops the reaction.     

The room-temperature decomposition of metastable phases precipitated in the Al-Zn alloys at 200 °C

The room-temperature decomposition of metastable phases in the Al-Zn alloys (from 25 to 50 wt. % Zn) was studied by the transmission electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Metastable phases, i.e. G.-P. zones, _R-and -phases, were grown at 200 °C and their decomposition into equilibrium -phase at 20 °C was investigated. Ageing times comprised 1 to 999 days.Both the decomposition mechanism and the rate of decomposition of coherent phases were found to be dependent on the particle sizes and their density reached at 200 °C. The local vacancy supersaturation around the -nucleus in a dense system of G.-P. zones leads to an enhanced growth rate of such nucleus and thus to the formation of one large -precipitate at the expense of several neighbouring G.-P. zones. The elastic stress field around this -particle promotes the further nucleation and growth of -precipitates and leads to their gradual spread throughout the matrix. The decomposition of intermediately sized _Rprecipitates results in the development of -precipitates of comparable sizes nucleated on the array of misfit dislocations at the periphery of _R-precipitates. The cooperative effect between neighbouring particles does not influence the decomposition of large _R-precipitated which split then into several smaller -particles. The rate of G.-P. zones or _R to -decomposition increases with the increasing sizes of transition precipitates and with the zinc content of the alloy. The kinetics of to -decomposition was found to be independent both on the annealing time at 200 °C and on the investigated alloy composition. This can be attributed to the constant density of misfit dislocations as nucleation sites for -precipitates along the -matrix interface and to the large mutual separation of -precipitates in all these alloys.In conclusion we would like to express our thanks to Doc. Dr. V.Syneek, CSc. for his valuable discussions and to Ing. V.íma for the preparation of Al-Zn alloys. Our thanks are also due to Mr. Z.iký for his help in the X-ray diffraction measurement and to P.Vyhlídka for the careful chemical analyses of the investigated alloys.     

Effects of thickness on the infrared optical properties of Ba<Subscript>0.9</Subscript>Sr<Subscript>0.1</Subscript>TiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> ferroelectric thin films

Using infrared spectroscopic ellipsometry (IRSE), the optical properties of the Ba_0.9Sr_0.1TiO₃ (BST) ferroelectric thin films with different film thicknesses on Pt/Ti/SiO₂/Si substrates prepared by a modified sol-gel method have been investigated in the 2.5–12.6 m wavelength range. By fitting the measured ellipsometric parameter ( and ) data with a three-phase model (Air/BST/Pt) and the classical dispersion relation for the BST thin films, the optical constants and thicknesses of the thin films have been obtained. The average thickness of the single layer decreases with increasing film thickness. The refractive index of the BST films decreases with increasing thickness in the wavelength range 2.5–11 m, and increases with increasing thickness in the wavelength range 11–12.6 m. However, the extinction coefficient of the BST films monotonously decreases with increasing thickness. It is closely associated with the crystallinity of the thin films, the crystalline size effect and the influence of the interface layer. The absorption coefficient of the BST films with different thicknesses decreases with increasing thickness. PACS 77.55.+f; 78.20.Ci; 78.30.Am; 81.70.Fy; 81.40.Tv     

Influence of Thermal Annealing and Deposition Conditions on the Structure and Optical Properties of GRS‐Active Substrates Based on Silver Films

Using the methods of atomicforce microscopy, xray diffractometry, and spectrophotometry, we have studied the morphological, structural, and optical characteristics of GRSactive substrates based on original and annealed silver films. We show that the backing temperature during deposition is the factor which exerts the most substantial effect on the morphological and optical properties of silver films and also on their stability with time. The coefficients of the correlation of the deposition rate with the characteristics of the optical density spectra of silver films are calculated. It is found that hightemperature (350°C) annealing of a silver film leads to the selforganization of its surface into a quasiperiodic structure with semiellipsoidal islets. The contribution of the processes of excitation of plasma resonances to the formation of the optical density spectra is discussed. It is shown that as a result of thermal modification the concentration of the crystalline phase of silver in a silver film increases 2–3 times and also the dispersion of the orientation of crystallites decreases.     

Study of perfection of layers of AlGaSb(AS) solid solution

Studies have been carried out on the perfection of then-Al_xGa_1–xSb_1–yAs_y (0.12x0.26) layer grown on GaSb substrates under different conditions of lattice matching. During the relaxation of the mechanical stresses at first a system of tilt dislocations with a density of up to 5 · 10⁵ cm^–2 is formed while in thick layers (h 20 m) a network of misfit dislocations parallel to the heteroboundary is formed. The time required to dissolve a weighed amount of GaAs in the melt is shown to be of major importance for obtaining layers of a solid solution that are isoperiodic with the substrate. The entry of arsenic only in the initial portion of the epitaxial layer can reduce the dislocation density in the layer without decreasing the measured value of Aa. Dissolution of a weighed amount of GaAs in a Ga + Sb melt for two hours at T=730–750°C is sufficient to obtain layers of Al_xGa_1–xSb_1–yAs_y solid solution that are isoperiodic with the substrate.Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 1, pp. 84–89, January, 1988.In conclusion, we thank L. V. Druzhinina for useful discussions as well as Z. V. Korotchenko, L. S. Khludkova, and F. S. Kim for assistance in the performance of the experiments.     

Dislocation-related photoluminescence in silicon

Photoluminescence is studied in silicon, deformed in a well-defined and reproducible way. Usual deformation conditions (high temperature, low stress) result in sharp spectra of the D1 through D4 lines as recently described in the literature. New lines D5 and D6 emerge for predeformation as above and subsequent low-temperature, high-stress deformation. Another new sharp line, D12, is observed when both the familiar and the novel lines appear simultaneously. Annealing for 1 h atT _A 300 °C causes all new lines to disappear and the D1–D4 spectra to reappear. Quantitative annealing and TEM micrographs suggest that D5 is related to straight dislocations and D6 to stacking faults, whereas D1–D4 are due to relaxed dislocations. Photoluminescence under uniaxial stress shows that D1/D2 originate in tetragonal defects with random orientation relative to 100 directions, whereas D6 stems from triclinic centers, preferentially oriented — as are the D3/D4 centers. We conclude that the D3/D4 and the D5 and D6 defects are closely related, whereas the independent D1/D2 centers might be deformation-produced point defects in the strain region of dislocations.     

Influence of Hydrothermal Temperature on Structures and Photovoltaic Properties of SnO2 Nanoparticles

Two SnO₂ nanoparticles were synthesized by hydrothermal method at 170°C and 180°C, respectively. Transmission electron microscope observations reveal that the diameters of both the nanoparticles are around 6nm. At the same time, surface photovoltage spectroscopy measurements show that the nanoparticle synthesized at 180°C has more surface electronic states at 0.3eV below the conduction band than the one synthesized at 170°C. This means that the temperatures chosen in hydrothermal synthesis have significant influence on the surface electronic characteristics of resultant SnO² nanoparticles but the effect on their sizes is not obvious. However, after being calcined at 500°C for 2h, the diameter of the nanoparticle synthesized at 180°C increased to 23nm and that of the nanoparticle synthesized at 170°C increased to 32nm as calculated from X-ray diffraction pattern.     

Formation of dislocations with local mechanical damage to a silicon surface at room temperature

A study is made of the formation of dislocations in silicon with local damage to the surface at room temperature and subsequent annealing within the range 1073–1473 K. The damages to the surface are modeled with the use of micro-hardness indentations. Measurements of mean linear dislocation density in a ray of the indentation rosette show that the number of dislocations in the rosette is independent of both the temperature and duration of isothermal annealing. It was found that annealing at 573–773 K leads to partial relaxation of elastic stresses from the indentation due to the formation of sections of silicon with a hexagonal structure near the indentation. Further annealing at high temperatures leads to the disappearance of these sections and the formation of a normal dislocation rosette, with the number of dislocations in the rays corresponding to the case of one-stage annealing. The results are empirical confirmation of the hypothesis of incomplete shear. In accordance with the latter, dislocations are formed during deformation at room temperature, not during subsequent annealing.Zaporozh'e University. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Fizika, No. 5, pp. 78–82, May, 1992.     

Determination of in-depth thermal strain distribution in Molecular Beam Epitaxy GaAs on Si

In-depth stress distribution GaAs layers grown by Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) on Si (001) has been studied by X-ray diffraction, photoluminescence and Raman spectroscopy. In order to determine the stress state at different distances to the interface GaAs/Si, layers of different thickness were prepared by chemical etching of the grown samples. We observe a non-uniform residual strain distribution through the GaAs on Si epilayer. Residual strain of thermal origin is larger in the highly defective region ( 0.4 m) near the GaAs/Si interface where we have found a non-elastic relation between measured in-plane (a ) and in growth direction (a ) lattice parameters. However, thermal strain is partially relaxed by formation of 10⁷ cm^–2 dislocations in the region of better crystalline quality near the external surface.