Plasma treatment studies of MIS devices

Silicon nitride films have emerged as the possible future dielectrics for ultra large scale integration (ULSI). Because the interface state density of silicon nitride/silicon interface in metal insulator semiconductor (MIS) configuration is more than an order of magnitude larger than that of silicon dioxide/silicon interface, plasma treatment studies on silicon nitride films have been undertaken for the possible improvement. Accordingly, silicon nitride films of various composition have been prepared by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) system using silane(SiH₄) and ammonia(NH₃) with nitrogen(N₂) as the diluent and MIS devices have been fabricated with as well as without plasma treated silicon nitride as the insulator. A considerable improvement in the silicon nitride/silicon interface is observed on ammonia plasma treatment while nitrous oxide(N₂O) plasma treatment studies have resulted in the establishment of a novel plasma oxidation process.     

Photoluminescence properties of SiNx/Si amorphous multilayer structures grown by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition

Very thin (nanometric) silicon layers were grown in between silicon nitride barriers by SiH₂Cl₂/H₂/NH₃ plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD). The multilayer structures were deposited onto fused silica and silicon substrates. Deposition conditions were selected to favor Si cluster formation of different sizes in between the barriers of silicon nitride. The samples were thermally treated in an inert atmosphere for 1 h at 500 °C for dehydrogenation. Room-temperature photoluminescence (RT-PL) and optical transmission in different ranges were used to evaluate the optical properties of the structures. UV-VIS absorption spectra present two band edges. These band edges are well fitted by the Tauc model typically used for amorphous materials. RT-PL spectra are characterized by strong broad bands, which have a blue shift as a function of the deposition time of the silicon layer, even for as-grown samples. The broad luminescence could be associated with the confinement effect in the silicon clusters. After annealing of the samples, the PL bands red shift. This is probably due to the thermal decomposition of N-H bonds with further effusion of hydrogen and better nitrogen passivation of the nc-Si/SiN_x interfaces.     

Investigation of rapid thermal oxide/ silicon nitride passivation stack of n+ emitter

To anticipate the initial phosphorus diffusion parameters of silicon solar cells process fabrication, we report in this paper an overview of our experiments on silicon n⁺-emitters passivation by means of rapid thermal silicon oxide/silicon nitride stack. The process-induced changes have been evaluated and explained. We found that 900 °C and 80 s were the appropriate process parameters to grow 10 nm silicon oxide. Investigation of the effect of this oxidation on n⁺ multicrystalline silicon emitters revealed a large decrease (more than 25%) of the sheet resistance and around 12% increase of the junction depth. The experiments also revealed that the passivation effect of the optimal silicon oxide/silicon nitride stack is efficient only for higher emitter quality. In addition, we found that this stack reduces the surface reflection more than the optimal single silicon nitride layer.     

Properties of InSb p-n junctions fabricated by Zn implantation with subsequent drive-in diffusion

Abstract

A model for the impurity redistribution in heavily doped silicon layers suggested by Mathiot and Pfister⁶ is modified. Two channels of impurity diffusion are taken into account: a redistribution of impurity inside of a percolation cluster and a standard diffusion outside of that cluster. The parameters of the model are identified for the case of rapid thermal annealing of antimony in silicon. The modified model better describes the observed diffusivity dependences on temperature and doping level.     

Study of structural and electronic environments of hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbonitride (a-SiCN:H) films deposited by hot wire chemical vapor deposition

Hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbon nitride (a-SiCN:H) thin films were deposited by hot wire chemical vapor deposition (HWCVD) using SiH₄, CH₄, NH₃ and H₂ as precursors. The effects of the H₂ dilution on structural and chemical bonding of a-SiCN:H has been investigated by Raman and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Increasing the H₂ flow rate in the precursor gas more carbon is introduced into the a-SiCN:H network resulting in decrease of silicon content in the film from 41 at.% to 28.8 at.% and sp² carbon cluster increases when H₂ flow rate is increased from 0 to 20 sccm.     

Modified Fowler–Nordheim tunnelling for modelling charge injection into Si3N4 in an Al/Si3N4/Si structure

Charge injection behaviours in silicon nitride of an Al/Si₃N₄/n-Si metal?Cinsulator?Csemiconductor (MIS) device are systematically studied before and after applying different high constant DC bias conditions with the aim of controlling charge accumulation in the dielectric when a high actuation voltage is applied. We found that both polarity and magnitude of charge accumulation in silicon nitride depend on the biasing direction. Charge injection from the semiconductor to the silicon nitride always dominates over charge injection from the Al electrode to the silicon nitride. Negative charge accumulation happens in silicon nitride when the Al electrode is positively biased, and positive charge accumulation occurs in silicon nitride when the Al electrode is negatively biased. The positive charge accumulation is much bigger than the negative charge accumulation under the same magnitude of stress voltage. Furthermore, the experimental results also show that the charge injection level exponentially increases with the applied voltage across the silicon nitride. These observed experimental results can be well explained by a modified Fowler?CNordheim tunnelling charge injection model, which takes into account the roles of both electrons and holes in the process of charge injection.     

Covalent immobilization of Pseudomonas cepacia lipase on semiconducting materials

Lipase from Pseudomonas cepacia was covalently immobilized on crystalline silicon, porous silicon and silicon nitride surfaces. The various stages of immobilization were characterized using FTIR (Fourier transform infrared) spectroscopy. The surface topography of the enzyme immobilized surfaces was investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The quantity of the immobilized active enzyme was estimated by the para-nitrophenyl palmitate (pNPP) assay. The immobilized lipase was used for triglyceride hydrolysis and the acid produced was detected by a pH sensitive silicon nitride surface as a shift in the C-V (capacitance-voltage) characteristics of an electrolyte-insulator-semiconductor capacitor (EISCAP) thus validating the immobilization method for use as a biosensor.     

N掺杂SiO2纳米薄膜的制备及其磁性

利用射频磁控反应溅射技术,制备了氮掺杂的SiO₂纳米薄膜.发现N掺杂SiO₂体系纳米薄膜具有铁磁性.较小的氮化硅颗粒均匀分布在氧化硅基质中有利于磁有序的形成.基底温度为400℃时,样品薄膜具有最大的饱和磁化强度和矫顽力,分别为35 emu/cm³和75 Oe.薄膜的磁性可能产生于氮化硅和氧化硅的界面.理论计算表明,N掺杂SiO₂体系具有净自旋.同时,由氮化硅和氧化硅界面之间的电荷转移导致的轨道磁矩也会对样品的磁性有贡献 关键词： 2薄膜')" href="#">N掺杂SiO₂薄膜 射频磁控反应溅射 界面磁性 基底温度     

Effect of the degree of ordering of structural vacancies on the fine structure of the valence-band top in cubic boron nitride

The electronic energy structure of the defect system of c-BN_x with ZnS-type structure is calculated in the multiple-scattering theory by the local coherent potential method. The cluster version of the MT approximation is used to calculate the crystal potential. The effect of the relaxation of the crystal lattice on the electronic structure of nonstoichiometric boron nitride c-BN_0.75 is studied and a comparison is made with the electronic energy structure of c-BN in the same approximation. Fiz. Tverd. Tela (St. Petersburg) 39, 1064–1065 (June 1997)     

Dispersion parameters and nonlinear optical properties of silicon nitride rib waveguides

Silicon nitride rib waveguides are numerically studied by use of a full-vectorial mode solver program based on finite difference method. Dispersion parameters, up to the third-order, are computed for waveguides of heights 0.8 μm, 0.9 μm, and 1 μm. Like silicon-on-insulator waveguides, silicon nitride rib waveguides allow us to tailor dispersion parameters at telecom wavelengths. Deeply-etched silicon nitride rib waveguides of height up to 1.5 μm are investigated for correct geometries to achieve polarization independence. The computations lead to a minimum etch depth which can be written as linear function of the waveguide height. Etch-depth and waveguide height dependencies of the nonlinear refractive index coefficient of the silicon nitride are studied. It is shown that third-order optical nonlinearities in silicon nitride rib waveguides can be enhanced by suitable choices of waveguide parameters.     

Capturing properties of a threefold coordinated silicon atom in silicon nitride: Positive correlation energy model

The electronic structure and capturing properties of threefold coordinated silicon atoms (≡Si·) and the Si-Si bond in silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) were studied using the ab initio density functional theory. The results show that the previously proposed negative correlation energy (NCE) model is not applicable to Si₃N₄. The NCE model was proposed for interpreting the absence of the ESR signal for threefold coordinated silicon defects and suggested that an electron can transfer between two silicon defects. We proposed that the absence of this ESR signal is due to the creation of neutral diamagnetic Si-Si defects in Si₃N₄. This model offers the most fundamental theory for explaining the hole localization (memory) effect in silicon nitride.     

Effect of tellurium on electrical and structural properties of sintered silicon nitride ceramics

The effects of tellurium (Te) additives on electrical conductivity, dielectric constant and structural properties of sintered silicon nitride ceramics have been studied. Different amounts of Te (10% and 20%) were added as sintering additives to silicon nitride ceramic powders and sintering was performed. Microstructure and composition were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The electrical conductivity and dielectric constant (ε′) increase exponentially with temperature greater than 800 K. The electrical conductivity and dielectric constant increase but activation energy decreases from 0.72 to 0.33 eV with the increase of Te concentration. However, the conductivity increases five orders of magnitude at the concentration of 10% of Te in Si₃N₄. As the Te concentration increases the sintered silicon nitride ceramics become denser. These types of samples can be used as high temperature semiconducting materials.     

Theoretical model for describing degradation of thin hydrogen-containing films

A new theoretical model is proposed to describe the behavior of films of composite hydrogen-containing compounds during heat treatment. The model is based on the thermal generation of hydrogen atoms and atoms of the composite compounds with their subsequent diffusion to the boundaries of the film and percolation through the surface into the atmosphere. Calculations are performed for the heat treatment of films of silicon nitride. A comparison with the experimental data in the literature demonstrates the high efficiency of the proposed model. Zh. Tekh. Fiz. 67, 105–110 (August 1997)     

Development of Output Windows for High-Power Long-Pulse Gyrotrons and EC Wave Applications

Electron cyclotron heating (ECH) is one of the main candidates for heating and current drive on ITER (170 GHz) and W7-X (140 GHz). High unit power (1 MW or greater) and high efficiency single-mode continuous-wave (CW) gyrotrons are under development in order to reduce significantly the systems costs. Face-cooled double-disk sapphire and silicon nitride windows (FC-75 liquid cooling), cryogenically edge-cooled single-disk sapphire (liquid nitrogen, liquid neon or liquid helium cooling) and silicon (230 K refrigerator cooling) windows, water-edge-cooled single-disk CVD-diamond windows and water-cooled distributed windows are being investigated in order to solve the window problem. A water-cooled window has two very important advantages; it employs a cheap and effective coolant and it is compact and probably more reliable than other solutions and thus can also be easily used as a torus window. The present paper summarizes the development status of high-power millimeter-wave windows with emphasis on CVD diamond.     

立方氮化硅及其冲击波合成

 立方氮化硅是高温高压研究近期合成得到的一种新物相，与已经在工业上普遍使用的氮化硅的两种六方物相（α相和β相）相比，新物相的密度增加了26%，预期是一种新型功能材料。简要综述了立方氮化硅的研究进展和存在的问题，讨论了立方氮化硅的人工合成和相关物性研究、Ⅳ(A)族氮化物（Ge₃N₄、Sn₃N₄、C₃N₄）的高密度物相研究，以及后尖晶石相氮化物的实验和理论探索等问题。介绍了作者最近利用炸药爆轰加载技术开展的冲击波合成实验结果，以α相氮化硅为冲击压缩前驱体，实现了在单次冲击波压缩实验中合成出了克量级立方氮化硅粉体，为进一步开展立方氮化硅的性能研究奠定了基础。     

Study of hydrogenated AlN as an anti‐reflective coating and for the effective surface passivation of silicon

Stacks of aluminum oxide and silicon nitride are frequently used in silicon photovoltaics. In this Letter, we demonstrate that hydrogenated aluminum nitride can be an alternative to this dual‐layer stack. Deposited on 1 Ω cm p‐type FZ silicon, very low effective surface recombination velocities of 8 cm/s could be reached after firing at 820 °C. This excellent passivation is traced back to a high density of fixed charges at the interface of approximately –1 × 10¹² cm^–2 and a very low interface defect density below 5 × 10¹⁰ eV^–1 cm^–2. Furthermore, spectral ellipsometry measurements reveal that these aluminum nitride layers have ideal optical properties for use as anti‐reflective coatings. (© 2013 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Influence of interfaces density and thermal processes on mechanical stress of PECVD silicon nitride

The paper focuses on a particular silicon nitride thin film (SiN_x) produced by plasma enahanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) technique with high deposition rate (26 nm/min) and low values of mechanical stress (<100 MPa). This was perfomed with mixed frequency procedure varying the modulation of high frequency at 13.56 MHz and low frequency at 308 kHz of RF power supply during the deposition, without changing the ratio of reaction gases. Low stress silicon nitride is commonly obtained by tailoring the thickness ratio of high frequency vs. low frequency silicon nitride layers.The attention of this work was directed to the influence of the number of interfaces per thickness unit on the stress characteristics of the deposited material. Two sets of wafer samples were deposited with low stress silicon nitride, with a thickness of 260 nm and 2 μm, respectively. Thermal annealing processes at 380 and 520 °C in a inert enviroment were also performed on the wafers.The Stoney–Hoffman model was used to estimate the stress values by wafer curvature measurement with a mechanical surface profilometer: the stress was calculated for the as-deposited layer, and after each annealing process.The thickness and the refractive index of the SiN_x were also measured and charaterized by variable angle spectra elliposometry (VASE) techinique.The experimental measurements were performed at the MT-LAB, IRST (Istituto per la Ricerca Scientifica e Tecnologica) of Bruno Kessler Foundation for Research in Trento.     

DFT方法研究掺杂氮化硅对SONOS器件保持性能的作用

可通过对氮化硅层掺杂来改变俘获电荷的缺陷种类和数量的方法，改善SONOS非挥发性存储器件的保持性能.建立无定形氮化硅和氧、硫、磷、氟或氯掺杂氮化硅中缺陷的簇模型；根据第一性原理的密度泛函理论(DFT)，对缺陷的簇模型结构优化并计算能量，得到缺陷俘获电荷过程的能量变化.发现缺陷俘获电子的能力比俘获空穴的能力好，电子释放过程应对温度敏感，而空穴释放过程主要由隧穿机理控制.预测与氧氮化硅一样，硫或磷掺杂氮化硅代替氮化硅作为SONOS器件的电荷储存层，可改善器件的保持性能.