Preferential sputtering observed in Auger electron spectroscopy sputter depth profiling of AlAs/GaAs superlattice using low‐energy ions

Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) sputter depth profiling of an ISO reference material of the GaAs/AlAs superlattice was investigated using low‐energy Ar⁺ ions. Although a high depth resolution of ～1.0 nm was obtained at the GaAs/AlAs interface under 100 eV Ar⁺ ion irradiation, deterioration of the depth resolution was observed at the AlAs/GaAs interface. The Auger peak profile revealed that the enrichment of Al due to preferential sputtering occurred during sputter etching of the AlAs layer only under 100 eV Ar⁺ ion irradiation. In addition, a significant difference in the etching rates between the AlAs and GaAs layers was observed for low‐energy ion irradiation. Deterioration of the depth resolution under 100 eV Ar⁺ ion irradiation is attributed to the preferential sputtering and the difference in the etching rate. The present results suggest that the effects induced by the preferential sputtering and the significant difference in the etching rate should be taken into account to optimize ion etching conditions using the GaAs/AlAs reference material under low‐energy ion irradiation. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

In situ XPS and SIMS analysis of O2+ beam‐induced silicon oxidation

The chemical composition variation of silicon under 4 keV O₂⁺ ion beam bombardment at different incident angles was studied by in situ small‐area XPS. The changes in secondary ion profile (³⁰Si⁺, ⁴⁴SiO⁺, ⁵⁶Si₂⁺, ⁶⁰SiO₂⁺) during oxygen ion beam bombardment also have been monitored. We present a direct correlation of the changes in secondary ion depth profile with surface composition during sputtering. Evolution of the secondary ion profile obtained from SIMS shows similar trends with variation of oxygen concentration in the crater surface measured by XPS. It is shown that when the oxygen ion beam incidence angle is < 40° silicon dioxide is the dominant species on the crater surface and the matrix ion species ratio (MISR) value for ⁴⁴SiO⁺/⁵⁶Si₂⁺ is higher than for ³⁰Si⁺/⁵⁶Si₂⁺. For incidence angles of >40°, the formation of sub‐oxide is favoured and thus the MISR value for ⁴⁴SiO⁺/⁵⁶Si₂⁺ is lower than for ³⁰Si⁺/⁵⁶Si₂. At 40° bombardment there are similar amounts of SiO₂ and sub‐oxides present on the crater surface and the MISR values for ⁴⁴SiO⁺/⁵⁶Si₂⁺ and ³⁰Si⁺/⁵⁶Si₂⁺ are also similar. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Toward accurate characterization of nitrogen depth profiles in ultrathin oxynitride films

Good accuracy in depth profile analyses of nitrogen in ultrathin oxynitride films is desirable for process development and routine process monitoring. Low energy SIMS is one of the techniques that has found success in the accurate characterization of thin oxynitride films. This work investigated the artifacts in a typical depth profile analysis of nitrogen with the current SIMS technique and the ways to improve the accuracy by selecting optimal analytical conditions. It was demonstrated that surface roughness developed rapidly in a SiO₂/Si stack when it was bombarded with an O₂⁺ beam at 250 eV and angle of incidence from 70 to 79° . The roughness caused distortion in the measured depth profiles of nitrogen and the major component elements. However, the above roughness and the distortion in the depth profiles can be eliminated by using a 250 eV O₂⁺ beam at an angle of incidence above 80° . Depth profile analyses with a 250 eV 83° O₂⁺ beam exhibited minimal surface roughening and insignificant variation in the secondary ion yield of SiN^? from SiO₂ bulk to the SiO₂/Si interface, facilitating an accurate analysis of nitrogen distribution in a SiO₂/Si stack. In addition, depth profiles of the major component elements such as ¹⁸O^? and ²⁸Si^? delivered clear information on the location of the SiO₂/Si interface. Using the new approach, we compared nitrogen distribution in thin SiNO films with the decoupled‐plasma nitridation (DPN) at various powers. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Analysis of thin films and molecular orientation using cluster SIMS

A study of phenylalanine films of different thicknesses from submonolayer to 55 nm on Si wafers has been made using Bi_n⁺ and C₆₀⁺ cluster primary ions in static SIMS. This shows that the effect of film thickness on ion yield is very similar for all primary ions, with an enhanced molecular yield at approximately 1 monolayer attributed to substrate backscattering. The static SIMS ion yields of phenylalanine at different thicknesses are, in principle, the equivalent of a static SIMS depth profile, without the complication of ion beam damage and roughness resulting from sputtering to the relevant thickness. Analyzing thin films of phenylalanine of different thicknesses allows an interpretation of molecular bonding to, and orientation on, the silicon substrate that is confirmed by XPS. The large crater size for cluster ions has interesting effects on the secondary ion intensities of both the overlayer and the substrate for monolayer and submonolayer quantities. This study expands the capability of SIMS for identification of the chemical structure of molecules at surfaces. © Crown copyright 2010.     

Depth profiles of Ta2O5/SiO2/Si structures: a combined X-ray photoemission, Auger electron, and secondary ion mass spectroscopic study

Summary We prepared thin films of tantalum oxide on SiO₂/Si substrates by thermal oxidation of tantalum. The different oxide layers and their interfaces were characterized by SIMS, AES, and XPS. Characteristic structures were obtained after different oxidation procedures. The comparative discussion of AES and SIMS depth profiles makes possible an unequivocal characterization of the reactive interfaces between the oxides of Ta and Si. The Ta₂O₅/SiO₂ interface in particular shows non-stoichiometries which depend on the oxidation procedures and which determine the performance characteristics of pH-sensitive Ta₂O₅ field-effect transistors.

---

Tiefenprofile von Ta₂O₃/SiO₂/Si-Strukturen: Eine kombinierte Untersuchung mit Röntgen-Photoemissions-, Auger-Elektronen- und Sekundär-Ionen-Massen-Spektrometrie

     

Ultrashallow depth profiling using SIMS and ion scattering spectroscopy

The accuracy of ultrashallow depth profiling was studied by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and high‐resolution Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (HRBS) to obtain reliable depth profiles of ultrathin gate dielectrics and ultrashallow dopant profiles, and to provide important information for the modeling and process control of advanced complimentary metal‐oxide semiconductor (CMOS) design. An ultrathin Si₃N₄/SiO₂ stacked layer (2.5 nm) and ultrashallow arsenic implantation distributions (3 keV, 1 × 10¹⁵ cm^?2) were used to explore the accuracy of near‐surface depth profiles measured by low‐energy O₂⁺ and Cs⁺ bombardment (0.25 and 0.5 keV) at oblique incidence. The SIMS depth profiles were compared with those by HRBS. Comparison between HRBS and SIMS nitrogen profiles in the stacked layer suggested that SIMS depth profiling with O₂⁺ at low energy (0.25 keV) and an impact angle of 78° provides accurate profiles. For the As⁺‐implanted Si, the HRBS depth profiles clearly showed redistribution in the near‐surface region. In contrast, those by the conventional SIMS measurement using Cs⁺ primary ions at oblique incidence were distorted at depths less than 5 nm. The distortion resulted from a long transient caused by the native oxide. To reduce the transient behavior and to obtain more accurate depth profiles in the near‐surface region, the use of O₂⁺ primary ions was found to be effective, and 0.25 keV O₂⁺ at normal incidence provided a more reliable result than Cs⁺ in the near‐surface region. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effects of the temperature and beam parameters on depth profiles in X-ray photoelectron spectrometry and secondary ion mass spectrometry under C60–Ar cosputtering

Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) is widely used in various fields, including the semiconductor, biomaterial and microelectronic fields. Obtaining the correct depth profiles of PMMA is essential, especially when it is used as a thin-film. There have been many studies that have used earlier generation of cluster ion (SF₅⁺) as the sputtering source to profile PMMA films, but few reports have discussed the use of the more recently developed C₆₀⁺ in the PMMA sputtering process. In this study, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and dynamic secondary ion mass spectroscopy (D-SIMS) were used concurrently to monitor the depth profiles of PMMA under C₆₀⁺ bombardment. Additionally, the cosputtering technique (C₆₀⁺ sputtering with auxiliary, low-kinetic-energy Ar⁺) was introduced to improve the analytical results. The proper cosputtering conditions could eliminate the signal enhancement near the interface that occurred with C₆₀⁺ sputtering and enhance the sputtering yield of the characteristic signals. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was also used to measure the ion-induced topography. Furthermore, the effect of the specimen temperature on the PMMA depth profile was also examined. At higher temperatures (+120 °C), the depolymerization reaction that corresponded to main-chain scission dominated the sputtering process. At lower temperatures (−120 °C), the cross-linking mechanism was retarded significantly due to the immobilization of free radicals. Both the higher and lower sample temperatures were found to further improve the resulting depth profiles.     

Comparison of fullerene and large argon clusters for the molecular depth profiling of amino acid multilayers

A major challenge regarding the characterization of multilayer films is to perform high-resolution molecular depth profiling of, in particular, organic materials. This experimental work compares the performance of C₆₀ ⁺ and Ar₁₇₀₀ ⁺ for the depth profiling of model multilayer organic films. In particular, the conditions under which the original interface widths (depth resolution) were preserved were investigated as a function of the sputtering energy. The multilayer samples consisted of three thin δ-layers (~8 nm) of the amino acid tyrosine embedded between four thicker layers (~93 nm) of the amino acid phenylalanine, all evaporated on to a silicon substrate under high vacuum. When C₆₀ ⁺ was used for sputtering, the interface quality degraded with depth through an increase of the apparent width and a decay of the signal intensity. Due to the continuous sputtering yield decline with increasing the C₆₀ ⁺ dose, the second and third δ-layers were shifted with respect to the first one; this deterioration was more pronounced at 10 keV, when the third δ-layer, and a fortiori the silicon substrate, could not be reached even after prolonged sputtering. When large argon clusters, Ar₁₇₀₀ ⁺, were used for sputtering, a stable molecular signal and constant sputtering yield were achieved throughout the erosion process. The depth resolution parameters calculated for all δ-layers were very similar irrespective of the impact energy. The experimental interface widths of approximately 10 nm were barely larger than the theoretical thickness of 8 nm for the evaporated δ-layers.

Development of Na+-sensitive membranes based on sputtered Na-Al-Si glasses

Na⁺-sensitive microdevices are of increasing interest for integration in microanalytical systems e.g. for biomedical applications or for industrial process control. In order to produce ultra thin Na⁺-sensitive layers with fixed and reproducible composition and, in particular, defined Na concentration by means of RF sputtering, an off-axis geometry of a magnetron with cylindrical target was chosen for minimizing back-sputtering effects from the already deposited material. With this inverted cylindrical magnetron (ICM) it was possible to obtain reproducible and controllable sodium aluminosilicate glass layers on semiconductor substrates. Several surface and thin layer analytical techniques were applied for characterization of the membranes and for stoichiometry control. Especially by the non-destructive nuclear reaction analysis method a constant Na profile throughout the glass layer and — together with AES depth profiles — the diffusion barrier effect of an Si₃N₄ interface layer could be verified. Electrochemical measurements proved Nernstian sensitivity down to 10^–4 M Na⁺ in solutions of pH 7, supporting sufficient stability and reproducibility of the sputtered Na⁺-sensitive layers.     

SIMS depth profiling of vertical p-channel Si-MOS transistor structures

SIMS depth profiling during O₂ ⁺ bombardment has been performed to analyse epitaxially grown Si p-n-p layers, which define the p-channel region in vertical Si-p MOS transistors, as well as to establish “on-chip” depth profiling of the functional vertical device. The SIMS detection limit of ³¹P in Si, phosphorus used as n-type dopant in the transistor, has been optimised as a function of the residual gas pressure in the SIMS analysis chamber and of the sputter erosion rate. We demonstrate that good vacuum during SIMS analysis combined with high erosion rates allows the simultaneous quantitative SIMS depth profiling of n- and p-type dopant concentrations in the vertical transistor. Small area “on-chip” SIMS depth profiling through the layered structure of Al-contact/TiSi₂/Si(p-n-p)/Si-substrate has been performed. Factors influencing the depth resolution during “on-chip” analysis of the transistor are discussed especially in terms of sputtering induced ripple formation at the erosion crater bottom, which has been imaged with atomic force microscopy. Received: 15 August 1996 / Revised: 17 January 1997 / Accepted: 21 January 1997     

Optimization of the depth resolution for profiling SiO2/SiC interfaces by dual-beam TOF-SIMS combined with etching

To examine precise depth profiles at the interface of SiO₂/SiC, a high resolution that can detect slight discrepancies in the distribution is needed. In this study, an experimental method to achieve a high resolution of less than 1 nm was developed by using dual-beam time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS). The analysis was preceded by the following three steps: (1) determination of the optimal analytical conditions of the analysis beam (Bi⁺) and sputtering beam (Cs⁺), (2) verification of the etching methods to thin the SiO₂ layer, and (3) confirmation of the benefits of the low-energy sputtering beam directed toward SiO₂/SiC samples. By using the secondary ion intensity peak-to-valley ratio of BN⁻ and BO⁻ of a sample with delta-doped boron multilayers, the appropriate Bi⁺/Cs⁺ condition for a high depth resolution was determined for each energy level of the sputtering beam. Upon verification of the etching methods to thin the SiO₂ layer, slight discrepancies were found between samples that were obtained with different etching methods. The difference in the roughness values of the etched surfaces was proactively utilized for the performance confirmation of the low-energy sputtering beam by means of precise observation of the profiles at the SiO₂/SiC interface. The use of a Cs beam with a low energy between 0.25 and 0.5 keV enabled the detection of slight discrepancies in the roughness of less than 1 nm between samples. The aforementioned method has the potential to accurately detect discrepancies in the intrinsic distribution at the SiO₂/SiC interface among samples.     

Complex investigation of multilayer nanostructure of a‐Si/SiO1.9 by probe and spectroscopic analysis techniques. Visualization of the band structure. Studying of the band structure of the suboxide border layers

This article describes an integrated approach to the study of multilayer nanostructures of a‐Si/SiO_1.9 as a potential model to study the influence of the effects arising at the interface of Si/SiO₂ under the influence of ionizing radiation. The results of the functional layers of amorphous silicon and silicon dioxide surface topology investigation have been disclosed. The possibility of application of a band gap contrast in electron probe studies by means of electron energy filtering during the detection process has been demonstrated. Changes in valence band and band gap through depth of the a‐Si/SiO_1.9 nanostructure have been registered. As part of the study, density of states of the a‐Si/SiO_1.9 multilayer nanostructures and depth distribution of surface suboxide layers of native oxide of amorphous silicon have been reconstructed using the determination of an effective mean free path of the electrons by the TPP2M algorithm in conjunction with PARXPS and REELS measurements. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

SIMS investigation of CrN sputtercoatings

Chromium nitride layers produced by reactive sputtering with different process parameters were characterized with EPMA, SIMS depth profiling, and three-dimensional SIMS imaging. EPMA results are used to quantify the major components of the films while SIMS is used to gather information about the distribution of the elements chromium, silicon, nitrogen, and oxygen. For all measurements a Cs+ primary ion beam was applied to sputter the sample. Positive MCs+ (M represents the element to be analyzed) secondary ions were detected. SIMS depth profiling shows an even distribution of all major elements except oxygen, which shows significant differences in concentration and distribution depending on the process parameters. CrN layers produced at low sputter power have much higher concentration of oxygen than layers produced with high sputter power. Heating the silicon substrate during the process results in an enrichment of oxygen at the interface.     

An AES study of the room-temperature oxidation of TaSix after bombardment with Ar+ ions of different energies

Tantalum silicide films of ∼200 nm thick and composition TaSi₂ were obtained by co-sputtering in a Varian 3120 S-gun magnetron system. The films were then introduced in an AES spectrometer and bombarded with Ar⁺ ions of different energies in order to obtain surfaces of different compositions as a consequence of preferential sputtering effects and their dependence on the energy of the primary ions. Lowering the energy of the Ar⁺ ions resulted in surfaces very rich in tantalum. The interactions of these surfaces with oxygen at low pressures (10⁻⁸−10⁻⁵ Torr) and at room temperature then have been studied comparatively by Auger electron spectroscopy. Reference experiments with pure Si and Ta allowed the comparison with those of the different silicide surfaces. It is found that the oxygen uptake depends on the Ta content so that the richer in Ta the surface is, the higher the O₂ incorporation. Furthermore, the uptake rate at the different TaSi_x surfaces resembles better the measured rate for pure Ta than that observed for pure Si. It has been observed also that the oxidation of Si is enhanced over that of pure silicon in all the surfaces studied here. Besides, the enhancement depends on the tantalum content.     

AES and SIMS profiling of buried silicide layers formed by 6 MeV high dose nickel implantation into silicon

Summary The composition of deep-buried conductive layers formed by 6 MeV high dose Ni implantation into silicon at 450 K has been studied using AES and SIMS. For a dose of 1.3 × 10¹⁸ Ni/cm², AES analysis yields a Ni to Si ratio close to NiSi₂ stoichiometry at profile maximum, as expected from high dose Monte Carlo simulations. In this region the shape of the Si LVV Auger line indicates the presence of NiSi₂. TEM/XTEM investigations reveal a continuous NiSi₂ layer, showing a high density of extended defects.

---

AES- und SIMS-Profilanalyse vergrabener Silicidschichten, die durch 6-MeV-Hochdosis-Nickel-Implantation in Silicium erzeugt wurden

     

A novel approach for measuring ultra‐thin,buried SiO2 film thickness

Accurate measurement of physical thickness of thin SiO₂ films is of great interest to the semiconductor industry. Existing inspection techniques are subject to large error when the oxide thickness falls below 2 nm. This work explored a new approach with improved accuracy to the measurement of thickness of thin oxide films. The new method utilizes dynamic SIMS with a primary ion beam of one isotope of oxygen (¹⁶O or ¹⁸O) at normal incidence and detecting negative secondary ions of another isotope (¹⁸O or ¹⁶O, respectively) inside SiO₂. The experiment was performed by using an ¹⁶O₂⁺ primary beam and detecting ¹⁸O^? as characteristic secondary ions for SiO₂. We substantiated that the matrix effect was eliminated during profiling through the SiO₂/Si interface in a poly Si/SiO₂/Si stack with an O₂⁺ beam at normal incidence, which is crucial for reliable quantification of oxygen amount inside SiO₂. The high ion yield of ¹⁸O^? and negligible contribution from the mass interference of¹⁶ OH₂^? ensured measurement of the total amount of oxygen inside an SiO₂ film with good sensitivity. By assuming that the silicon oxide is in the form of stoichiometric SiO₂, which is the case for those layers grown with dry oxidation, the measured amount of oxygen can be readily converted into the thickness of SiO₂. This technique provides reproducible measurement of the thickness of SiO₂ films and potentially a good accuracy if a reference material is well calibrated. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Depth profile analysis of thin film solar cells using SNMS and SIMS

SNMS (sputtered neutrals mass spectrometry) and SIMS (secondary ion mass spectrometry) are used for the depth profile analysis of thin film solar cells based on amorphous silicon. In order to enhance depth resolution, model systems are analyzed only representing parts of the layered system. Results concerning the TCO (transparent conducting oxide)/p interface and the n/i interface are presented. To minimize matrix effects, SNMS is used when the sample consists of layers with different matrices. Examples are the TCO/p interface (where the transition lengths of the depth profiles are found to be sharper when ZnO is used as TCO compared to SnO₂) and SnO₂/ZnO interfaces in coated TCO layers (where a Sn contamination inside the ZnO layer is found depending on the plasma pressure during the ZnO deposition). SIMS is used when the limits of detection reached by SNMS are not sufficient. Examples are H depth profiles in ZnO layers or P depth profiles near the n/i-interface.     

Depth profiling of polymer samples using Ga+ and C60+ ion beams

In this contribution, we focus on the use of C₆₀⁺ ions for depth profiling of model synthetic polymers: polystyrene (PS) and poly(methylmethacrylate) (PMMA). These polymers were spin coated on silicon wafers, and the obtained samples were depth‐profiled both with Ga⁺ ions and C₆₀⁺ ions. We observed an important yield enhancement for both polymers when C₆₀⁺ ions are used. More specifically, we discuss here the decrease in damage obtained with C₆₀, which is found to be very sensitive to the nature of the polymer. During the C₆₀⁺ sputtering of the PMMA layer, after an initial decrease, a steady state is observed in the secondary ion yield of characteristic fragments. In contrast, for PS, an exponential decrease is directly observed, leading to an initial disappearance cross section close to the value observed for Ga⁺. Though there is a significant loss of characteristic PS signal when sputtering with C₆₀⁺ ions beams, there are still significant enhancements in sputter yields when employing C₆₀⁺ as compared to Ga⁺. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Interaction of Pd-overlayers with SnO2: comparative XPS, SIMS, and SNMS studies

Summary We report about interaction processes between palladium (Pd) and tin dioxide (SnO₂) studied with various surface spectroscopic techniques. Total sputter yields necessary for absolute depth calibration in SIMS are determined for SnO₂. Clustering of palladium occurs at low temperatures. Small changes in the XPS relative core level intensities of Pd and Sn allow to determine cluster sizes. Oxidation of Pd in the presence of oxygen at T470 K is a prerequisite for diffusion of Pd²⁺ ions into SnO₂ layers. The latter process is confirmed and described quantitatively by evaluating the SIMS and SNMS measurements.