Retarded thermal oxidation of strained Si substrate

Strained Si is recognized as a necessary technology booster for modern integrated circuit technology. However, the thermal oxidation behaviors of strained Si substrates are not well understood yet despite their importance. In this study,we for the first time experimentally find that all types of strained Si substrates(uniaxial tensile, uniaxial compressive,biaxial tensile, and biaxial compressive) show smaller thermal oxidation rates than an unstrained Si substrate. The possible mechanisms for these retarded thermal oxidation rates in strained Si substrates are also discussed.     

Equivalent oxide thickness scaling of Al2O3/Ge metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors with ozone post oxidation

Aluminum-oxide films deposited as gate dielectrics on germanium （Ge） by atomic layer deposition were post oxidized in an ozone atmosphere. No additional interfacial layer was electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy detected by the high-resolution cross-sectional transmission measurements made after the ozone post oxidation （OPO） treatment. Decreases in the equivalent oxide thickness of the OPO-treated Al2O3/Ge MOS capacitors were confirmed. Furthermore, a continuous decrease in the gate leakage current was achieved with increasing OPO treatment time. The results can be attributed to the film quality having been improved by the OPO treatment.