Investigation of the interaction between electrical discharges and low resistivity silicon substrates

In this work the impact of single discharge pulses in air on single-crystalline, p-type silicon having a low bulk resistivity of 0.009-0.012 Ω cm is investigated. Compared to platinum specimens, the craters in silicon have lateral dimensions which are about one order of magnitude larger despite comparable values for the melting point and the melting energy. This finding is attributed to the substantially higher bulk resistivity of silicon leading a higher energy input into the substrate when spark loaded. The energy generated by joule heating is, however, distributed across a larger area due to a current spreading effect. To study the impact of different surface properties on the sparking behaviour, the crater formation on the silicon substrate is investigated applying coatings with different material properties, such as sputter-deposited aluminium layers and thermally-grown silicon dioxide. In general, the crater characteristics formed on unmodified silicon is not influenced when a thin aluminium layer of 24 nm is deposited. At higher film thickness above 170 nm, the sparking energy is almost completely absorbed in the top layer with low influence on the underlying silicon substrate. In the case of a dielectric top layer with a thickness of 155 nm, the formation of many small distinct craters is supported in contrast to a 500 nm-thick SiO₂ film layer where the generation of a single crater with a large area is energetically favoured. A surface roughness of several nm on the silicon probes has no measurable effect on crater formation when compared to an original surface characteristic with values in the sub-nm range.     

Features of electrical discharges in air triggered by laser

A numerical study of laser-triggered discharges in air at atmospheric pressure is presented for an ultraviolet laser in small gaps. Two models, one for the ionization of the air by the laser pulse and the second for the streamer evolution have been computed. From results of numerical simulations the influence of the laser parameters such as energy, pulse duration and beam radius is analyzed and electron distributions are obtained for different small gaps. Electric field, streamer velocity and evolution of the ionized volume are calculated by means of streamer simulations. This paper shows the main features of the laser-triggered discharges and also the importance of using numerical simulations in a laser-triggered experiment.     

Fractal dimension of long electrical discharges

The fractal dimension of 500 mm long electrical discharges is presented by analyzing a set of photographic images. Three popular fractal dimension estimation techniques, box counting, sandbox and correlation function methods were used to estimate the fractal dimension of the discharge channels. To remove the apparent thickness due to varying magnitudes of current in the discharge channels, edge detection algorithms were utilized. The estimated fractal dimensions for box counting, sandbox and correlation function for long laboratory sparks were 1.20 ± 0.06, 1.66 ± 0.05 and 1.52 ± 0.12 respectively. Within statistical uncertainties, the estimated fractal dimensions of positive and negative polarities agreed very well.     

Carbon fiber formation in electrical discharges in hydrocarbons

The process of synthesis of carbon fiber from hydrocarbon vapours in low-current electrical-discharge plasma was investigated in the paper. The carbon fibers were effectively synthesised in discharge of positive polarity generated between a stainless steel needle and a plate made of nickel alloy, for the discharge current ranged from 1 mA up to 3 mA. The experiments were carried out at normal pressure in cyclohexane vapours with argon as carrier gas. The diameter of produced fibers varied from about 20 to 70 μm. The growth rate of the fiber was about 0.25 mm/s.     

High frequency ultrasonic detection of C-crack defects in silicon nitride bearing balls

A non-destructive testing method for silicon nitride bearing balls based on ultrasonic resonance spectroscopy is proposed here. Through the theoretical study of their elastic vibrations, it is possible to characterize the balls using a vibration mode that is similar to surface wave propagation. The study of the influence of C-crack defects on the resonances of Rayleigh modes is presented here. These C-cracks are typically formed by impacts between balls during finishing or handling. They are frequently found on the surface of silicon nitride bearing balls and these C-cracks decrease the rolling contact fatigue life considerably. This kind of defect is difficult to detect because the C-shaped surface crack is very small and narrow (500 μm × 5 μm), and its depth does not exceed 50 μm. The proposed methodology can both excite spheroidal vibrations in the ceramic balls and detect such vibrations over a large frequency range. In particular, high frequency vibrations are considered because these are similar to the surface waves propagating in the cortical zone of the ceramic balls and consequently they can be used to detect C-crack defects.     

Macroscopic models of internal dynamics of electrical discharges

The existence of thresholds for electrical discharge onset suggests a functional relation between macroscopic resistivity and current. At low current, the resistivity should be inversely proportional to the magnitude of the current. Macroscopic models which employ this scaling predict many empirically observed properties of transient electrical discharges such as: (i) thresholds for the onset of current, (ii) the abrupt termination of current in active regions of a current channel, (iii) current restart in passive regions of current channels, (iv) leaders, and (v) residual charge, both in channels and at sources when current terminates. An overview of research with these models is presented and examples are used to illustrate the results that have been obtained. These models are shown to predict current channel formation and describe results of efforts to benchmark theory with experimental data     

Morphology of electrical trees in silicon rubber

The main cause of degradation and breakdown in silicon rubber (SIR) is electrical treeing. Based on a series of experiments, this paper discusses the morphology of the electrical trees. The types of morphology of electrical trees in SIR are concluded. The effective factors of the tree initial type are explored. And the propagation characteristics are also studied through long-term electrical tree ageing experiments. These results are also compared with the electrical trees occurred in on-site cable accessories and those in PE which are more familiar to researchers. Based on those experiment results, an explanatory mechanism is proposed.     

The electrical properties of zinc in silicon

Electrically active deep levels related to zinc in silicon are investigated in n- and p-type silicon using Deep-Level Transient Fourier Spectroscopy (DLTFS) measurements. While in n-type silicon a level at E _C–0.49 eV is observed, the main zinc-related levels in p-type silicon are determined to be E _V+0.27 eV and E _V+0.60 eV. The latter are associated with zinc situated on regular silicon lattice sites. The emission rate of these centers exhibits a field dependence which cannot be quantitatively explained with the Poole-Frenkel model. On the other hand, a shallow level at E _V+0.09 eV is observed only in boron-doped silicon which may be related to a zinc-boron complex. Other zinc-related levels are found at E _V+0.23 eV and E _V+0.33 eV, their concentration depending on that of zinc on substitutional sites. In addition, the evaluation of depth profiles and the analysis of the field dependence of the emission rate based on the DLTFS method is presented.     

Nanosecond electrical discharges between semiconducting sulfide mineral particles in water

A model for developing electric discharges between sulfide mineral (pyrite) particles under high-voltage nanosecond pulses in a liquid medium (water) is considered. A possibility of electrical breakdowns of liquid gaps between particles under nanosecond pulses is shown. This probability and the energy released in discharge channels depend strongly on the sulfide conductivity.     

Parametric study of Xe2 * dimer in high-pressure electrical discharges

Optical and electrical properties of a high-pressure discharge of pure xenon and xenon-helium and xenon-neon mixtures are studied experimentally. Uniform discharge at total gas pressure as high as 10 atm is achieved in xenon-lean mixtures. Vacuum ultraviolet emissions due to the first and second continua of Xe₂ ^* are examined spectroscopically. The vibrational relaxation rate constant k_He of Xe₂ ^* by helium is determined to be of the order of 10^-11 cm³ s^-1 from spectroscopic data. Laser oscillation for the 172-nm band was attempted without success. Discharge instability at high gas pressures is considered to the cause of the unsuccessful laser experiments. Some issues related to discharge instability in a high-pressure rare-gas discharge are discussed. Received: 1 October 2001 / Revised version: 11 June 2002 / Published online: 25 October 2002 RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author. Fax: +852-2603/5204, E-mail: dlo@phy.mhk.edu.hk     

Non-linear electrical effect in graded-electron concentration silicon

A gradient of carrier concentration in semiconductors can create a double-frequency internal electric field which is parallel to this gradient and perpendicular to the applied a.c. field. This warm-carrier effect was measured in silicon specimens with a gradient of electron concentration, at 77 and 300 K, under applied fields from 1 to 10 V m^-1 and within the frequency range of 0.3–20 kHz. A comparison between experimental data and a theoretical model is discussed.     

Leader channel models for long air positive electrical discharges

The models proposed for the positive long air gap electrical discharge can be considered to be either engineering or physical in their approach. In this work, we make a general review of the available models and use two of them for a comparison with experimental data. Common underlying assumptions were found in most of the models analyzed. The comparison with the experimental data revealed that the results obtained from the models were a good representation of the physical situation when the leader potential distribution and the leader-corona region evolution were described with certain physical assumptions.     

The electrical activation of implanted arsenic in silicon

The activation energy for the annealing of arsenic implanted layers in silicon was studied by isothermal and isochronal annealing experiments. Different mechanisms are responsible for the annealing behavior. At low doses and at temperatures below 700°C a doubly charged complex is formed with an activation energy of 0.86 eV which dissociates at higher temperatures with an activation energy of 3.58 eV. At high doses which result in the formation of an amorphous layer a single activation energy of 2.75 eV is measured.     

硅薄膜沉积过程中等离子发光基团的一维空间分布研究

使用光发射谱(OES)对甚高频等离子增强化学气相沉积(VHF-PECVD)技术沉积硅薄膜时的等离子体发光基团的空间分布进行了在线监测和研究. 研究表明：等离子体的不同发光基团都存在着一个中间强度较大的区域和两边电极附近的暗区;增大硅烷浓度和提高辉光功率都会增大SiH^*峰强度;硼烷的加入,使得SiH^*和Hα^*峰强度增大,但硼烷流量变化的影响很小;硼烷流量增大,材料的晶化率下降,而I_{［Hα^*］关键词： 甚高频等离子增强化学气相沉积 等离子体 发光基团 空间分布}     

Secondary ion mass spectrometry measurements of deuterium penetration into silicon by low pressure RF glow discharges

Abstract

Using secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) the penetration of deuterium into Si(100) substrates as a result of exposure to deuterium low pressure rf discharges has been determined as a function of exposure time, thermal contact of the Si wafers to the substrate electrode, substrate doping, and discharge pressure. For undoped (100) single crystal Si exposed without intentional heating to a 25 m torr D₂ plasma for 1 min the deuterium concentration in the near-surface region (0—30 nm) approaches 10²¹ at.cm^?3. It drops off with depth, but is still greater than 10¹⁷ at.cm.^?3 at a silicon depth of 200 nm. The large penetration depth, the observation that lowering the substrate temperature decreases the rate of deuterium uptake, and the dependence of deuterium penetration on the substrate doping type indicate that hydrogen diffusion is of primary importance. The presence of a 50 nm thick oxide layer on the Si substrate during plasma exposure lowers the deuterium near-surface concentration in the Si substrate by about three orders of magnitude, while the presence of 10 nm of thermal oxide reduces the deuterium uptake only insignificantly. Heavily B and As doped polycrystalline Si show less deuterium penetration, while undoped polycrystalline Si shows more deuterium uptake than undoped single crystal Si for the same plasma treatment.     

The electrical activity of stacking faults in Czochralski silicon

A spectroscopic analysis by the light-beam-induced-current technique has been carried out to study the electrical properties of stacking faults in Czochralski silicon subjected to internal gettering treatments. By changing the wavelength of the light beam probing the sample, we have obtained the depth profiling of the stacking fault electrical activity. Occurrence of minority carrier recombination and generation processes at some stacking faults, corresponding, respectively, to dark and bright levels in a grey-shade imaging, has been observed. The presence of fixed charges at the defect-silicon matrix interface is hypothesized as a possible cause of the observed images.     

Damage dependent electrical activation of phosphorus implanted in silicon

Damage profiles for 250-keV self-ion irradiation of gold, determined by (1) stereo electron microscopy measurements of the depth distribution of visible clusters and (2) binary-collision simulations, are presented. Simulations for an amorphous medium, a single crystal (with the ion beam oriented in a nonchanneling direction), and a polycrystal were performed using the MARLOWE code. The calculated damage profiles for the single crystal and the polycrystal both exhibit approximately exponential tails, but have shallower modal depths than the profile for the amorphous medium. The inclusion of room-temperature thermal vibrations in the simulations is found to broaden the profile and suppress long-range channeling. Comparison between simulation and experiment suggests that a screening length somewhat smaller than the Firsov value is appropriate for Au-Au interactions.