Pulsed thermal annealing of arsenic-implanted silicon

A pulsed thermal annealing system is described which rapidly heats samples to 700°C and can successfully activate and regrow arsenic-implanted damaged layers. The junctions so formed are shown to be of low resistivity and exhibit very good diode characteristics. Residual damage seen after the anneal does not appear to degrade the junction performance.     

Photoluminescence study of the structural evolution of amorphous and crystalline silicon nanoclusters during the thermal annealing of silicon suboxide films with different stoichiometry

The effect of the stoichiometry of thin silicon suboxide films on the processes of the formation and evolution of silicon nanoclusters during thermal annealing is studied by photoluminescence measurements. The samples are produced by the thermal sputtering of a SiO powder in an oxygen atmosphere, with the subsequent deposition of a 500 nm-thick SiO _x layer onto a Si substrate. The morphological properties and size of Si nanoclusters are explored by analyzing the photoluminescence spectra and kinetics. A comparative study of the luminescence properties of thin SiO _x layers with different stoichiometric parameters, x = 1.10, 1.29, 1.56, and 1.68, is accomplished for samples annealed at different temperatures in the range 850 to 1200°C. The dependences of the photoluminescence decay time on the annealing temperature, the stoichiometric parameter of the initial silicon suboxide film, and the nanocluster size are studied.     

Synthesis of new carbon-nitrogen nanoclusters by annealing diamond-like carbon films in nitrogen

Diamond-like carbon (DLC) films were prepared by ion-beam sputtering of a graphite target and annealed at a temperature of 400°C in vacuum and nitrogen with oxygen admixture (about 1–2%). The Raman and optical absorption spectra of these films were studied. Anomalous changes in the DLC films annealed in nitrogen were detected. The optical absorptance of films in the visible range of the spectrum decreased by approximately two orders of magnitude; the D and G lines of graphene nanoclusters disappeared in the Raman spectra, while new narrow lines at 928, 968, and 2324 cm^?1, as well as a broad line at 2200–2400 cm^?1, arose. These changes were found to be reversible. Subsequent annealing of the films in vacuum (400°C) restored the optical properties and Raman spectra of the samples. The results obtained are indicative of the formation of new carbon-nitrogen nanoclusters under certain conditions of annealing of a DLC film.     

Low temperature thermal annealing of arsenic implanted silicon

The annealing of heavily arsenic implanted (100) silicon using low temperature furnace techniques to obtain metastable concentrations of the dopant is described and the activations obtained are compared with those found after laser and electron beam annealing.     

Rapid thermal annealing of neutron transmutation doped silicon

Rapid thermal annealing (RTA) of neutron transmutation doped Si wafers is shown to be an alternative to conventional furnace annealing. Measurements of resistivity and deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS), demonstrated annealing on wafers with diameters up to 75 mm. A 4.5 kW incoherent-light RTA furnace was used. Evidence for crystalline slip was found but this did not appear to affect the results. The slip was more severe for the larger diameter wafers. Some results from a DLTS examination of a partially rapid-thermal-annealed wafer are presented.     

Indium out-diffusion from silicon during rapid thermal annealing

The out-diffusion of indium (In) from In-implanted silicon (Si) samples that includes bare Si, samples with an oxide-cap layer, nitride-cap layer, and nitride/oxide/Si sandwiched samples, is investigated. The dose loss of In with respect to different implant energies, doses, and soak times during rapid thermal annealing (RTA) is quantified. Experimental results of bare Si samples show that over 90% of In out-diffusion happens within 1 sec of soak time in the RTA process. In the capped samples, In rapidly diffuses through the oxide layer and stops at the nitride/oxide interface. In gets piled up at the interface of Si/oxide and oxide/nitride, and nitride very efficiently prevents In out-diffusion from the oxide layer out to the nitride layer. In addition, In gets more segregated in the Si surface in the presence of boron.     

Properties of silicon implanted with boron ions through thermal silicon dioxide

The properties of silicon implanted with boron ions through thermal SiO₂ films were studied using sheet resistivity measurements (corroborated by Hall data). Electrical properties for implants through 0.1 μm of SiO₂, as compared to bare silicon, showed no unusual behavior as a function of anneal temperature. Sheet resistivity measurements as a function of SiO₂ thickness for fixed ion energy, and as a function of energy for fixed oxide thickness were made after 525 and 925°C anneals, for boron doses of 10¹³, 10¹⁴ and 10¹⁵ ions/cm². The profile of boron ions in SiO₂ is near Gaussian for the energy range investigated and the stopping power is 0 to 20% lower than the theoretical value currently in the literature. Considerations for device manufacture are discussed in light of the results.     

High-sensitivity porous silicon photodetectors fabricated throughrapid thermal oxidation and rapid thermal annealing

The sensitivity of a porous silicon Schottky barrier photodetector is much improved through rapid thermal oxidation and rapid thermal annealing processes. Under our optimum preparation conditions, photocurrent can reach about 21 mA (under 22.4 mW/cm² tungsten lamp illumination) and dark current is about 5.4 μA (at reverse bias of 10 V). The quantum efficiencies are about 90% at wavelengths shorter than 750 nm and 80%-70% in the wavelength range 750-1050 nm     

Silicon raised strip waveguides based on silicon and silicon dioxide thermal bonding

Si raised strip waveguides on SiO/sub 2/ have been proposed and fabricated, which are based on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) material. In the waveguides, the SOI technique utilizes silicon and silicon dioxide thermal bonding and back-polishing. An anisotropic etchant is used to produce the trapezoidal Si raised strip waveguides by etching the Si film down to the SiO/sub 2/ etch-stop buried layer. The transmission losses of the Si waveguides are measured to be less than 0.2 dB/cm at the 1.3 /spl mu/m wavelength for the lowest mode TE-like mode.     

High-temperature annealing of macroporous silicon in an inert-gas flow

Interest in the sintering of macroporous silicon is due to the possibility of purposefully modifying its structure. The annealing of macroporous structures in an atmosphere of Ar, instead of H₂, simplifies the requirements to equipment and safety engineering. The sintering of macroporous silicon as result of annealing at T = 1000–1280°C in a horizontal tube purged with high-purity gases: Ar or Ar + 3%H₂ is examined. Experiments were conducted with layers having deep cylindrical macropores produced by the electrochemical etching of samples with seed pits on their surface (ordered pores) and without seeds (random pores). The morphology of the porous structure and the changes in this structure upon annealing are studied with electron and optical microscopes. It is shown that, depending on the pore diameter and treatment temperature, the following transformation occurs: the pore surface is smoothed, pores are closed and a surface crust is formed, cylindrical pores are spheroidized and decompose into isolated hollow spheres, and a fine structure and faceting are formed. It is shown that the (111) planes have the minimal surface energy. It is found that the annealing of macroporous silicon in an inert gas leads to strong thermal etching, which is manifested in the fact that the porosity increases or even the porous layer at the sample edge fully disappears. Moreover, an oxide layer appears as a film, beads, or long filaments forming a glass wool upon annealing, especially at low temperatures. These features can be attributed to the presence of trace amounts of an oxidizing agent in the inert gas, which causes the formation of highly volatile SiO and products formed in the reaction involving this compound.     

A model of formation of fixed charge in thermal silicon dioxide

A quantitative model of formation of fixed charge (Q _f ) in silicon dioxide during thermal oxidation of silicon is developed. The value of Q _f is governed by the number of interstitial silicon atoms in the vicinity of the Si-SiO₂ interface; these atoms are formed as a result of the processes of their generation and recombination at the interface and also due to their diffusion to the depth of dioxide. The model makes it possible to describe a decrease in the fixed charge as the oxidation temperature is increased and in the case of annealing in neutral media for silicon dioxide on silicon with orientations (100) and (111) in a wide range of temperatures.     

Transformation of interface states in silicon-on-insulator structures under annealing in hydrogen atmosphere

Changes induced by annealing the spectrum of states on a Si/SiO₂ interface obtained by direct bonding and on a Si(substrate)/〈thermal SiO₂〉 interface in silicon-on-insulator (SOI) structures were investigated by charge-related deep-level transient spectroscopy. The structures were formed by bonding silicon wafers and slicing one of the wafers along a plane weakened by hydrogen implantation. The SOI structures were annealed at 430°C for 15 min in hydrogen, which corresponded to the conventional mode of passivation of the Si/SiO₂-interface states. The passivation of interface states by hydrogen was shown to take place for the Si/〈thermal SiO₂〉 interface, as a result of which the density of traps substantially decreased, and the continuous spectrum of states was replaced by a band of states in the energy range E _c=0.1–0.35 eV within the entire band. For the traps on the bonded Si/SiO₂ interface, the transformation of the centers occurs; namely, a shift of the energy-state band is observed from E _c=0.17–0.36 to 0.08–0.22 eV. The trapping cross section decreases by about an order of magnitude, and the density of traps observed increases slightly.     

Sensitivity analysis of ion implanted silicon wafers after rapid thermal annealing

In this study, we have investigated sensitivities of the ion implanted silicon wafers processed by rapid thermal annealing (RTA), which can reveal the variation of sheet resistance as a function of annealing temperature as well as implantation parameters. All the wafers were sequentially implanted by the arsenic or phosphorous implantations at 40, 80, and 100 keV with the dose level of 10¹⁴ to 2 × 10¹⁶ ions/cm². Rapid thermal annealing was carried out for 10 s by the infrared irradiation at a temperature between 850 and 1150°C in the nitrogen ambient. The activated wafer was characterized by the measurements of the sheet resistance and its uniformity mapping. The values of sensitivities are determined from the curve fitting of the experimental data to the fitting equation of correlation between the sheet resistance and process variables. From the sensitivity values and the deviation of sheet resistance, the optimum process conditions minimizing the effects of straggle in process parameters are obtained. As a result, a strong dependence of the sensitivity on the process variables, especially annealing temperatures and dose levels is also found. From the sensitivity analysis of the 10 s RTA process, the optimum values for the implant dose and annealing temperature are found to be in the range of 10¹⁶ ions/cm² and 1050-1100°C, respectively. The sensitivity analysis of sheet resistance will provide valuable data for accurate activation process, offering a guideline for dose monitoring and calibration of ion implantation process.     

Resistivity changes of heavily-boron-doped CVD-prepared polycrystalline silicon caused by thermal annealing

Heavily-boron-doped polycrystalline Si films were deposited at 600°C on thermally grown SiO₂ by the thermal decomposition of SiH₄-BCl₃-H₂ mixture. Resistivity changes with isochronal or sequential annealing were systematically examined. Temperature dependence of equilibrium saturation carrier concentration was determined at 800 ～ 1100°C. Since as-deposited polycrystalline Si is in the super-saturated state, carrier concentration decreases from the super-saturated to equilibrium saturation value by annealings over 700°C for poly Si doped with over 2 × 10²⁰ cm^?3 resulting in anomalous resistivity change. Carrier concentration changes reversibly between saturation values with sequential annealing and is determined by the last annealing temperature when the annealing time is long enough. Mobility increases with annealing temperature, however, less increase is found for heavily doped poly Si, which is attributed to the suppression of grain growth caused by electrically inactive Si-B compounds.     

Pulsed-laser modification of germanium nanoclusters in silicon

The effect of pulsed ruby laser radiation on Ge nanoclusters grown on a (100)-oriented Si substrate is studied. The energy density of radiation corresponds to the melting threshold of the Si surface. Changes in the structure of nanoclusters are analyzed by comparing the experimental Raman spectra to those calculated in terms of Born-von Karman and Vol’kenstein models. It is established that the action of one pulse changes the cluster size and partly relieves the compression. Still greater changes take place in a sample subjected to ten pulses. The Ge nanoclusters transform into clusters of Ge_xSi_1?x solid solution, presumably due to the stress-and vacancy-aided diffusion. Laser-induced thermal processes in germanium nanoclusters in silicon are numerically simulated.     

Characteristic properties of macroporous silicon sintering in an argon atmosphere

The temperature and time dependences of the sintering of macroporous silicon in Ar or Ar + 3% H₂ are studied. The contribution of various mechanisms governing this process is determined. The specific features of the sintering of macroporous silicon are examined by means of isochronous and isothermal annealing of the samples with ordered and random macropores in the temperature range 1000–1225°C. It is found that the sintering of macroporous silicon under atmospheric pressure in an inert gas flow containing 2 × 10–4% O₂ is greatly affected by thermal etching. Thermal etching competes with the substance-transfer processes characteristic of sintering and hinders the formation of a defect-free surface crust. The reason for etching consists in that gaseous silicon monoxide is generated and then carried away by the gas flow. The etching effect is dominant in the low-temperature range and is independent of whether H₂ is added. The values obtained for the activation energy of the silicon diffusion coefficient, E _a = 2.57 eV, and for the exponent n = 3.31–3.74 in the time dependence of the pore radius, r ~ t ^1/n are indicative of a mixed substance-transfer mechanism via the surface and volume diffusion of silicon atoms.     

High-temperature rapid thermal nitridation of silicon dioxide for future VLSI applications

The use of nitrided SiO2for very large scale integration (VLSI) applications is becoming increasingly attractive. Nitridation can convert a thin surface region of SiO2into a nitroxide film which is a diffusion barrier that allows the use of thin dielectrics in MOS structures and a variety of gate metals without contaminating the interfacial region. We propose a two-activation-energy model of nitridation and suggest a structure for MOS gate insulator applications. We achieved this structure using rapid thermal nitridation at 1300°C for 20 s in 1 atm. of ammonia.     

Effect of thermal annealing and chemical treatment on the photoluminescence of porous silicon

Changes in the intensity of photoluminescence and in the IR absorption spectra of porous silicon samples are studied during chemical annealing and chemical treatment. It is found that processing porous silicon in HCl+Zn increases the photoluminescence intensity by more than a factor of 2 and affects the way the intensity is reduced by annealing. A comparison of the observed changes with IR spectra suggests that Si-H_x bonds play a key role in efficient photoluminescence in porous silicon. Fiz. Tekh. Poluprovodn. 32, 494–496 (April 1998)     

Impact of light soaking and thermal annealing on amorphous silicon thin film performance

Nowadays, there is a wide debate in literature related to the silicon thin films seasonal performance. Amorphous modules seem to react positively to the temperature, while the temperature parameters indicate a negative thermal response. Periodic fluctuations of nominal power due to light soaking and thermal annealing effects are observed. On the other hand, the module temperature reached in some open rack plants seems too low to activate annealing power regeneration process so that the seasonal performance trend may depend mainly on other effects such as spectral or irradiance. In the following paper, a model that allows to calculate the impact of all the phenomena that affect the photovoltaic performance is used. The light soaking and thermal annealing contributions are measured from outdoor data using two different methods. Both methods lead to similar results, and the model is able to reproduce the seasonal performance with an acceptable level of reliability on the day, hour, minute time scale. An analysis of each effect contribution to the seasonal performance is also provided. Thus, main open questions related to a‐Si thin films performance such as positive reaction to temperature and seasonal fluctuations are discussed. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The influence of hydrogen and nitrogen on the formation of Si nanoclusters embedded in sub-stoichiometric silicon oxide layers

This work reports the study concerning the influence of the preparation conditions on the structure of silicon rich oxide (SRO) deposited by PECVD method by which the structural properties of the film are strictly related. In particular we investigated the role of reactant gases N₂O and SiH₄ on the total Si concentration, Si excess concentration, Si clustered concentration and size of nanoclusters formed by high annealing temperature. We payed particular attention on the role of the hydrogen and nitrogen during the Si agglomeration.The presence of hydrogen atoms on the as-deposited specimen, confirmed by the Si–H bonds peak on the FTIR analysis, has been directly correlated to the silicon excess concentration in the layer. The silicon, oxygen and nitrogen atomic density has been calculated from RBS analysis. These information were coupled to the ones obtained using methodology based on electron energy loss spectroscopy combined with energy filtered images, which allowed us to quantify the clustered silicon concentration in annealed sub-stoichiometric silicon oxide layers (SiO_x). We have verified that the nitrogen dissolved in the layer inhibits the Si excess clustering so that the efficiency of silicon agglomeration process decreases as the nitrogen content increases.