Impurity Gettering in (112)B HgCdTe/CdTe/Alternate Substrates

The crystalline structure and impurity profiles of HgCdTe/CdTe/alternate substrate (AS; Si and GaAs are possibilities) and CdTe/AS were analyzed by secondary-ion mass spectrometry, atomic force microscopy, etch pit density analysis, and scanning transmission electron microscopy. Impurities (Li, Na, and K) were shown to getter in as-grown CdTe/Si epilayers at in situ Te-stabilized thermal anneal (~500°C) interfaces. In HgCdTe/CdTe/Si epilayers, indium accumulation was observed at Te-stabilized thermal anneal interfaces. Impurity accumulation was measured at HgCdTe/CdTe and CdTe/ZnTe interfaces. Processing anneals were found to nearly eliminate the gettering effect at the in situ Te-stabilized thermal anneal interfaces. Impurities were found to redistribute to the front HgCdTe/CdTe/Si surface and p–n junction interfaces during annealing steps. We also investigated altering the in situ Te-stabilized thermal anneal process to enhance the gettering effect.     

Direct growth of CdTe on (100), (211), and (111) Si by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

CdTe epilayers were grown directly on (100), (211), and (111) silicon substrates by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The crystallinity and the growth orientation of the CdTe film were dependent on the surface treatment of the Si substrate. The surface treatment consisted of exposure of the Si surface to diethyltelluride (DETe) at temperatures over 600°C prior to CdTe growth. Direct growth of CdTe on (100) Si produced polycrystalline films whereas (lll)B single crystals grew when Si was exposed to DETe prior to CdTe growth. On (211) Si, single crystal films with (133)A orientation was obtained when grown directly; but produced films with (211)A orientation when the Si surface was exposed to DETe. On the other hand, only (lll)A CdTe films were possible on (111) Si, both with and without Te source exposure, although twinning was increased after exposure. The results indicate that the exposure to a Te-source changes the initial growth stage significantly, except for the growth on (111) Si. We propose a model in which a Te atom replaces a Si atom that is bound to two Si atoms.     

The morphology of CdTe deposited by organometallic vapor phase epitaxy: The effect of substrate misorientation

Substrate misorientation and growth temperature influence the morphology of CdTe epilayers grown by organometallic vapor phase homoepitaxy. These effects were investigated by using CdTe{100} and CdTe{100} misoriented by 2, 4, 6, and 8° toward 〈111〉_Te as substrates for growth in the temperature range from 337 to 425°C. Low angle pyramidal facets appeared on films grown on the CdTe(100) surface. The number density of these pyramidal facets decreased to zero as the substrate misorientation angle increased to 4°. At higher misorientation angles, low angle protrusions, resembling fish scales, appeared on the surface. When the temperature was increased, facet size decreased but facet density increased. The film morphology at the high misorientations, however, improved remarkably with increasing temperature. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy provided evidence that both the faceted CdTe films and films with a mirror-like finish were epitaxial single crystals with no planar defects. Schwoebel barriers are suggested as the reason for the faceting of the surface grown on CdTe{100}.     

Electroless CoWP as a Diffusion Barrier between Electroless Copper and Silicon

In this work, an electroless CoWP film deposited on a silicon substrate as a diffusion barrier for electroless Cu and silicon has been studied. Four different Cu 120 nm/CoWP/Si stacked samples with 30, 60, 75, and 100 nm electroless CoWP films were prepared and annealed in a rapid thermal annealing (RTA) furnace at 300°C to 800°C for 5 min. The failure behavior of the electroless CoWP film in the Cu/CoWP/Si sample and the effect of CoWP film thickness on the diffusion barrier properties have been investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and sheet resistance measurements. The composition of the electroless CoWP films was 89.4 at.% Co, 2.4 at.% W, and 8.2 at.% P, as determined by energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS). A 30 nm electroless CoWP film can prevent copper penetration up to 500°C, and a 75 nm electroless CoWP film can survive at least up to 600°C. Therefore, increasing the thickness of electroless CoWP films effectively increases the failure temperature of the Cu/CoWP/Si samples. The observations of SEM and TEM show that interdiffusion of the copper and cobalt causes the failure of the electroless CoWP diffusion barriers in Cu/CoWP/Si during thermal annealing.     

Effect of post deposition heat treatment on microstructure parameters,optical constants and composition of thermally evaporated CdTe thin films

Thin film microstructure and its properties can be effectively altered with post deposition heat treatments. In this respect, CdTe thin films were deposited on glass substrates at a substrate temperature of 200 °C using thermal evaporation technique, followed by air annealing at different temperatures from 200 to 500 °C. Structural analysis reveals that CdTe thin films have a cubic zincblend structure with two oxide phases related to CdTe₂O₅ and CdTeO₃ at annealing temperature of 400 and 500 °C respectively. Regardless of the annealing temperature, the plane (111) was found to be the preferred orientation for all films. The crystallite size was observed to increase with annealing temperature. All films were found to display higher lattice parameters than the standard, and hence found to carry a compressive stress. Optical measurements suggest high uniformity of films both before and after post deposition heat treatment. Films annealed at 400 °C displayed superior optical properties due to its high refractive index, optical conductivity, relative density and low disorder. Furthermore, according to the compositional measurements, CdTe thin films were found to exhibit Te rich and Cd rich nature at regions near the substrate and center of the film respectively, for all annealing temperatures. However, composition of the regions near the substrate was found to become more Te rich with increasing annealing temperature. The study suggests that changing the annealing temperature as a post deposition treatment affects structural and optical properties of CdTe thin film as well as its composition. According to the observations, films annealed at 400 °C can be concluded to be the best films for photovoltaic applications due to its superior optical and structural properties.     

Effects of prolonged annealing on NiSi at low temperature (500°C)

The effects of prolonged annealing (10 h) at low temperature (500°C) have been studied in 20-nm Ni/Si (100) thin films using Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS), x-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) in conjunction with energy-dispersive spectrometry (EDS), and four-point probe techniques. We observe that nickel monosilicide (NiSi) is stable up to 4 h annealing at 500°C. It is also found that, after 6 h and 10 h annealing, severe agglomeration sets in and NiSi thin films tear off and separate into different clusters of regions of NiSi and Si on the surface. Due to this severe agglomeration and tearing off of the NiSi films, sheet resistance is increased by a factor of 2 despite the fact that no NiSi to NiSi₂ transition occurs. It is also observed that, with increasing annealing time, the interface between NiSi and Si becomes rougher.     

Direct growth of high-quality thick CdTe epilayers on Si (211) substrates by metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy for nuclear radiation detection and imaging

Direct growth of high-quality, thick CdTe (211) epilayers, with thickness up to 100 μm, on Si (211) substrates in a vertical metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy system is reported. In order to obtain homo-orientation growth on Si substrates, pretreatment of the substrates was carried out in a separate chamber by annealing them together with pieces of GaAs at 800–900°C in a hydrogen environment. Grown epilayers had very good substrate adhesion. The full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) value of the x-ray double-crystal rocking curve from the CdTe (422) reflection decreased rapidly with increasing layer thickness and remained between 140–200 arcsec for layers >18 μm. Photoluminescence measurement at 4.2 K showed high-intensity, bound excitonic emission and very small defect-related deep emissions, indicating the high crystalline quality of the grown layers. Furthermore, a CdTe/n⁺-Si heterojunction diode was fabricated that exhibited clear rectifying behavior.     

Sputtered copper films with insoluble Mo for Cu metallization: A thermal annealing study

The thermal annealing behavior of Cu films containing insoluble 2.0 at. % Mo magnetron co-sputtered on Si substrates is discussed in the present study. The Cu-Mo films were vacuum annealed at temperatures ranging from 200°C to 800°C. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations have shown that Cu₄Si was formed at 530°C, whereas pure Cu film exhibited Cu₄Si growth at 400°C. Twins are observed in focused ion beam (FIB) images of as-deposited and 400°C annealed, pure Cu film, and these twins result from the intrinsically low stacking-fault energy. Twins appearing in pure Cu film may offer an extra diffusion channel during annealing for copper silicide formation. In Cu-Mo films, the shallow diffusion profiles for Cu into Si were observed through secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) analysis. Higher activation energy obtained through differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis for the formation of copper silicide further confirms the beneficial effect of Mo on the thermal stability of Cu film.     

The stability of α-Sn grown on CdTe by molecular beam epitaxy

We have examined the effect of the substrate orientation, thickness, growth rate, substrate temperature and inclusion of small amounts of Ge on the transition temperature of α-Sn films grown on CdTe. The transition temperature from α-Sn to β-Sn was determined by optical microscopy to be as high as 132° C. CdTe(ll0) is a somewhat better orientation than CdTe(100), and CdTe(lll)B appears to be totally unacceptable. The transition temperature from α-Sn to β-Sn depends on the film thickness; thinner films have a somewhat higher transition temperature than thicker films. The film quality can be increased by lowering the growth rate and raising the growth temperature to about 75° C. Since the transition from α-Sn to β-Sn starts at defects in the film, improving the film quality by lowering the growth rate and raising the growth temperature raises the transition temperature. Also by adding small amounts of Ge (∼2%) the transition temperature of films grown on CdTe can be significantly increased.     

Characterization of Smooth CdTe(111) Films by the Conventional Close-Spaced Sublimation Technique

Thin epitaxial CdTe films were grown on CdTe(111)B substrates by the close-spaced sublimation (CSS) technique and were characterized over a range of experimental parameters. The source temperature was varied between 480°C and 540°C, maintaining an average constant source–substrate temperature difference ΔT of ∼130°C. Helium was used as a carrier gas at pressures between 2 Torr and 10 Torr. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) were used to analyze the film morphology and structure. Growth rates ranging from 1 μm/h to 4 μm/h were observed, based on profilometer thickness measurements. The addition of a pre-growth heat treatment step and post-growth annealing treatment resulted in smooth CdTe(111) films. An evolution in growth morphology was demonstrated with SEM images and film quality was confirmed with XRD.     

PLD法制备ZnO薄膜的退火特性和蓝光机制研究

通过脉冲激光沉积(PLD)方法,在O2中和100～500℃衬底温度下,用粉末靶在Si(111)衬底上制备了ZnO薄膜,在300℃温度下生长的薄膜在400～800℃温度和N2氛围中进行了退火处理,用X射线衍射(XRD)谱、原子力显微镜(AFM)和光致发光(PL)谱表征薄膜的结构和光学特性。XRD谱显示,在生长温度300℃时获得较好的复晶薄膜,在退火温度700℃时获得最好的六方结构的结晶薄膜;AFM显示,在此退火条件下,薄膜表面平整、晶粒均匀;PL谱结果显示,在700℃退火时有最好的光学特性。     

Improved morphology and crystalline quality of MBE CdZnTe/Si

We report on continuing efforts to develop a reproducible process for molecular beam epitaxy of CdZnTe on three-inch, (211) Si wafers. Through a systematic study of growth parameters, we have significantly improved the crystalline quality and have reduced the density of typical surface defects. Lower substrate growth temperatures (∼250–280°C) and higher CdZnTe growth rates improved the surface morphology of the epilayers by reducing the density of triangular surface defects. Cyclic thermal annealing was found to reduce the dislocation density. Epilayers were characterized using Nomarski microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, x-ray diffraction, defect-decoration etching, and by their use as substrates for HgCdTe epitaxy.     

Formation of thin-film HfO<Subscript>2</Subscript>/Si(100) structures by high-frequency magnetron sputtering

The results of X-ray structural investigations and current-voltage measurements of the HfO₂/Si(100) structures are presented. The HfO₂ films of 50 nm thickness were deposited in a Si substrate by high-frequency magnetron sputtering in argon plasma and subjected to rapid thermal annealing at 500, 700, and/or 800°C in the Ar or O₂ ambient. It is shown that the HfO₂ films become polycrystalline after annealing. The presence of various crystalline phases in them and the form of the I–V characteristics of the Al/HfO₂/Si(100) test structures strongly depend on the growth conditions and the gas ambient during the rapid thermal annealing. It is established that the HfO₂ films deposited at a high-frequency bias at a substrate of −7 V during the growth and then passed through rapid thermal treatment in the O₂ ambient at 700°C have the highest breakdown voltages.     

Structural and electrical properties of stable ni/cr thin films

The electrical and structural properties of nickel-chrome (NiCr) thin film resistors were studied for the effect of post-deposition annealing on stability. The temperature coefficient of resistance (TCR) of sheet resistivities in the range of 100 to 200 Ω/□ could be improved by both air and vacuum annealing to achieve 5 ± 5 ppm/°C over the temperature range of -180° C to +100° C. With stability tests, air annealing proved to be more favorable for stable TCR. Studies via SIMS and ESCA identified surface segregation of Cr whereas TEM micrographs revealed correlating structural transformation of the films upon annealing. An intentional impurity, Si, played an important role in achieving a low TCR.     

Optimization of physical properties of vacuum evaporated CdTe thin films with the application of thermal treatment for solar cells

This paper reports the optimization of physical properties of cadmium telluride (CdTe) thin films with the application of thermal treatment. The films of thickness 650 nm were deposited on glass and indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass substrates employing vacuum evaporation followed by thermal annealing in the temperature range 250–450 °C. The films were characterized using X-ray diffraction (XRD), source meter and atomic force microscopy (AFM) for structural, electrical and surface topographical properties respectively. The X-ray diffraction patterns reveal that films are polycrystalline with predominant zinc-blende structure having preferred reflection (111). The structural parameters are calculated and discussed in detail. The current–voltage characteristics show Ohmic behavior and the electrical conductivity is found to increase with annealing treatment. The AFM studies show that the surface roughness of films is observed to increase with annealing. The experimental results reveal that the thermal annealing plays an important role to enhance the physical properties of CdTe thin films and annealed films may be used as absorber layer in CdTe/CdS solar cells.     

Effect of rapid thermal annealing on properties of thermally evaporated nanostructured CdTe thin film treated with CdCl2

The effects of rapid thermal annealing on properties of crystalline nanostructured CdTe films treated with CdCl₂ and prepared by vacuum evaporation are described. X-ray diffraction confirmed the crystalline nature of post-treated films with high preferential orientation around 23.7°, corresponding to a (1 1 1) diffracted plane of cubic phase. Optical band gap of CdTe films increased from 1.4 eV to 1.48 eV after annealing at 500 °C for 90 s. Atomic force microscopy of annealed films revealed an increase in root mean square roughness and grain size with increased annealing time. Electrical measurements of as-grown and annealed films are consistent with p-type; film resistivity has decreased significantly with increased annealing time.     

Microstructural and optical characterization of CdTe(211)B/ZnTe/Si(211) grown by molecular beam epitaxy

CdTe layers have been grown by molecular beam epitaxy on 3 inch nominal Si(211) under various conditions to study the effect of growth parameters on the structural quality. The microstructure of several samples was investigated by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). The orientation of the CdTe layers was affected strongly by the ZnTe buffer deposition temperature. Both single domain CdTe(133)B and CdTe(211)B were obtained by selective growth of ZnTe buffer layers at different temperatures. We demonstrated that thin ZnTe buffer layers (<2 nm) are sufficient to maintain the (211) orientation. CdTe deposited at ∼300°C grows with its normal lattice parameter from the onset of growth, demonstrating the effective strain accommodation of the buffer layer. The low tilt angle (<1°) between CdTe[211] and Si[211] indicates that high miscut Si(211) substrates are unnecessary. From low temperature photoluminescence, it is shown that Cd-substituted Li is the main residual impurity in the CdTe layer. In addition, deep emission bands are attributed to the presence of As_Te and Ag_Cd acceptors. There is no evidence that copper plays a role in the impurity contamination of the samples.     

Role of thermal annealing on SiGe thin films fabricated by PECVD

Amorphous Silicon Germanium (a-SiGe) thin films of 500 nm thickness are deposited on silicon substrates using Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapour Deposition (PECVD). To obtain polycrystalline nature of films, thermal annealing is done at various temperature (450–600 °C) and time (1–10 h). The surface morphology of the pre- and post-annealed films is investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The crystallographic structure of the film is obtained by X-ray diffraction method. Raman spectroscopy is carried out to quantify the Ge concentration and the degree of strain relaxation in the film. Nano-indentation is performed to obtain the mechanical properties of the film. It is found that annealing reduces the surface roughness of the film and increases the Ge concentration in the film. The grain size of the film increases with increase in annealing temperature. The grain size is found to decrease with increase in annealing time up to 5 h and then increased. The results show that 550 °C for 5 h is the critical annealing condition for variation of structural and mechanical properties of the film. Recrystallization starts at this condition and results in finer grains. An increase in hardness value of 7–8 GPa has been observed. Grain growth occurs above this critical annealing condition and degrades the mechanical properties of the film. The strain in the film is only relaxed to about 55% even for 10 h of annealing at 600 °C. Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) observations show that the strain relaxation occurs by forming misfit dislocations and these dislocations are confined to the SiGe/Si interface.     

3英寸CdTe/Si复合衬底外延技术研究

报道了采用分子束外延法,在3 in硅衬底上通过As钝化、ZnTe缓冲层生长、CdTe生长、周期性退火等工艺进行CdTe/Si复合衬底制备技术研究情况,采用光学显微镜、X射线高分辨衍射仪、原子力显微镜、红外傅里叶光谱仪和湿化学腐蚀等手段对碲化镉薄膜进行了表征,测试分析结果表明碲化镉薄膜的晶向得到了较好的控制,孪晶得到了抑...     

Thermal stability of Cu(W) and Cu(Mo) films for advanced barrierless Cu metallization: Effects of annealing time

The current study investigates the effects of insoluble substances (W and Mo) in pure Cu films on the thermal stability, microstructure, and electrical properties of the films. The results can be used to assess the feasibility of the barrierless Cu film in the metallization process. The films investigated were deposited using magnetron sputtering onto the barrierless Si (100) substrate and then annealed between 400°C and 450°C in vacuum for long periods of time. After annealing, the film properties were examined by x-ray diffraction (XRD), the four-point probe method, leakage current measurements, and focused ion beam (FIB) analysis. The results indicate that no detectable copper silicide is formed after 48-h annealing of Cu(W) films at 400°C. In contrast, for the Cu(Mo) film, copper silicide is formed after 18-h annealing at the same temperature and hence electrical properties are poor. This evidence suggests that the Cu(W) film has better thermal stability during long periods of annealing and is suitable for an advanced barrierless metallization process.