Measurement of low densities of surface states at the Si---SiO2-interface

By a careful process Si---SiO₂-interfaces can be made with a low oxide charge Q_ox and with a low surface states density N_ss. For dry oxides on (100) N_ss-values as low as a few 10⁹ cm⁻² eV⁻¹ are found on samples with an oxide charge density of 3·0 × 10¹⁰ cm⁻². Only the Nicollian-Goetzberger conductance method is proved to give reasonable results on these structures. The quasi-static low frequency C-V-technique is in good agreement with the conductance technique for samples with N_ss-values higher than 1·0 × 10¹⁰ cm⁻² eV⁻¹. The spatial fluctuation of surface potential, mainly caused by oxide charge fluctuations, is an important parameter when studying the high or low frequency C-V-characteristics. Some irregularities in the experimental N_ss-φ_s-curves are explained.     

Thin oxide grown on heavily channel-implanted substrate by using a low temperature wafer loading and N2 pre-annealing process

In this paper, we present high integrity thin oxides grown on the channel implanted substrate (3 × 10¹⁷ cm⁻³) and heavily doped substrate (1 × 10²⁰ cm⁻³) by using a low-temperature wafer loading and N₂ pre-annealing process. The presented thin oxide grown on the channel implanted substrate exhibits a very low interface state density (1 × 10¹⁰ cm⁻² eV⁻¹) and a very high intrinsic dielectric breakdown field (15 MV/cm). It also shows a lower charge trapping rate and interface state generation rate than the conventional thermal oxide. For the thin oxide grown on the heavily-doped substrate by using the proposed recipe, the implantation-induced damage close to the silicon surface can be almost annealed out. The presented heavily-doped oxide shows much better dielectric characteristics, such as the dielectric breakdown field and the charge-to-breakdown, as compared to the conventional heavily-doped oxide.     

Optoelectronic properties of Zn0.52Se0.48/Si Schottky diodes

Zn_0.52Se_0.48/Si Schottky diodes are fabricated by depositing zinc selenide (Zn_0.52Se_0.48) thin films onto Si(1 0 0) substrates by vacuum evaporation technique. Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) analysis shows that the deposited films are nearly stoichiometric in nature. X-ray diffractogram of the films reveals the preferential orientation of the films along (1 1 1) direction. Structural parameters such as crystallite size (D), dislocation density (δ), strain (ε), and the lattice parameter are calculated as 29.13 nm, 1.187 × 10⁻¹⁵ lin/m², 1.354 × 10⁻³ lin⁻² m⁻⁴ and 5.676 × 10⁻¹⁰ m respectively. From the I–V measurements on the Zn_0.52Se_0.48/p-Si Schottky diodes, ideality and diode rectification factors are evaluated, as 1.749 (305 K) and 1.04 × 10⁴ (305 K) respectively. The built-in potential, effective carrier concentration (N_A) and barrier height were also evaluated from C–V measurement, which are found to be 1.02 V, 5.907 × 10¹⁵ cm⁻³ and 1.359 eV respectively.     

Electrical characterization of interface states in Ni/n-Si(111) Schottky diodes from (C-V) characteristics

Experiments have been performed on Ni/n-Si(111) Schottky diodes fabricated by the vacuum vapor deposition of Ni at 10⁻⁵ Torr pressure on an n-type «111å oriented silicon wafer. Measured current-voltage and capacitance-voltage characteristics in range frequency range 10 kHz-1 MHz have been analysed. Interface states parameters have been extracted from (C-V) characteristics using a metal-thin interfacial layer-semiconduct (MIS) structure model. The interface states density has been found to be in the range of 10¹¹ cm⁻² eV⁻¹ with a peak in the band gap of Si at about 0·51 eV below the conduction band edge.     

Characterization of phosphorus implanted low pressure chemical vapor deposited polycrystalline silicon

Thin (3000–5000Å) low pressure chemically vapor deposited (LPCVD) films of polycrystalline silicon suitable for microelectronics applications have been deposited from silane at 600°C and at a pressure of 0.25 Torr. The films were phosphorus implanted at 150 KeV and electrically characterized with the annealing conditions and film thickness as parameters, over a resistivity range of four orders of magnitude (10³–10⁷Ω/□). Annealing during silox deposition was found to result in a lower film resistivity than annealing done in nitrogen atmosphere. Resistivity measurements as a function of temperature indicate that the electrical activation energy is a linear function of 1/N(N is the doping concentration), changing from 0.056 eV for a doping concentration of 8.9 × 10¹⁸ cm⁻³ to 0.310 eV for doping concentration of 3.3 × 10¹⁸ cm⁻³. The grain boundary trap density was found to have a logarithmically decreasing dependence on the polysilicon thickness, decreasing from 1.3 × 10¹³ cm⁻² for 2850Å polysilicon film to 8.3 × 10¹² cm⁻² for 4500Å polysilicon film.     

Electrical characteristics of GaAsP Schottky barrier diodes

Schottky barrier diodes of chromium on n-type epitaxial gallium arsenide phosphide (GaAsP) were studied from 25°C to 440°C. The diodes showed significant rectification properties up to a temperature of 440°C. At high temperature the reverse leakage current was 1.15 mA at 25 V with a diode area of 1.14×10⁻³ cm² as compared with 0.25-μA current at room temperature. The n factor derived from the slope of the ln I vs. V curves was 1.1. The barrier height for chromium was found to be 1.25 eV from the capacitance measurements and 1.12 eV from the saturation current vs. temperature measurements. The slope of the C-V curves yielded a carrier concentration of 6.0×10¹⁵ carriers per cm³.     

Metal-germanium Schottky barriers

A systematic study has been made of the electrical characteristics of Schottky barriers fabricated by evaporating various metal films on n-type chemically cleaned germanium substrates. The diodes, with the exception of Al---Ge contacts, exhibit near-ideal electrical characteristics and age only slightly towards lower barrier height values. Al---Ge contacts exhibit very pronounced ageing towards higher barrier height values, due to formation of an extra aluminium oxide interfacial layer. Because of this, the barrier height values of aged Al---Ge contacts derived from I-V and C-V characteristics differ significantly. The dependence of the barrier height, (φ_b) on the metal work function, φ_m, for different metal-germanium contacts shows that surface states play an important role in the formation of the barrier. The density of germanium surface states is estimated to be D_s = 2 × 10¹³ eV⁻¹ cm⁻².     

Transport of the photoexcited electron-hole plasma in InP

Transport properties of the photoexcited electron-hole plasma in n-type InP have been studied by the spatial-imaged, time-resolved Raman scattering technique with 30μm and 0.1μm spatial resolution for lateral and perpendicular transport, respectively, and on a picosecond time scale. The plasma density ranging from 1 × 10¹⁶ to 2 × 10¹⁷ cm⁻³ was deduced from fitting of the Raman spectra with the plasmon-LO phonon scattering theory which took into account the contributions from free holes. In contrast to the experimental results of Young and Wan who found that ordinary diffusion equation was sufficient to fit their transient plasma density-time profiles in semi-insulating InP, our experimental measurements have shown that perpendicular transport (i.e., expansion into the bulk crystal) of the plasma in n-type InP can be very well described by a modified diffusion equation including the effect of drifting away from the surface based on a hydrodynamic model. The transient plasma density-time profiles were studied at T = 300K and for an initial injected plasma density n 2 × 10¹⁷ cm⁻³. The plasma has been found to expand laterally at a velocity V 5 × 10⁴ cm/sec and perpendicularly into the crystal at a velocity Vp 1.5 × 10⁵ cm/sec.     

Limitations of the MIS capacitance method resulting from semiconductor properties

The influence of doping profiles, traps and grain boundaries in the semiconductor on the C-V characteristics of ideal MIS diodes is calculated. In addition, it is shown that losses and frequency dispersion as well as hysteresis effects can result from traps in the semiconductor. If these semiconductor properties are ignored misinterpretations in terms of interface state density will arise which can be about 10¹² cm⁻². In the case of decreasing doping profiles and traps in a n-type semiconductor one will get an apparent positive surface charge while an apparent negative surface charge will result from increasing profiles and grain boundaries. A method for the experimental determination of the C-V characteristics of ideal MIS diodes is developed. This method is applicable to stable diodes with only shallow traps in the semiconductor.     

The physics and fabrication of in situ back-gated (311)A hole gas heterojunctions

This paper reports the fabrication of an in situ back-gated hole gas on the (311)A surface of GaAs. The hole density can be varied from fully depleted to p_s = 2.1 × 10¹¹ cm⁻² with mobilities of up to μ = 1.1 × 10⁶ cm²V⁻¹ s⁻¹. It is seen that for carrier densities down to p_s = 4 × 10¹⁰ cm⁻² the mobility in the [ ] direction is greater than that in the [ ] direction. Using a combination of front- and back-gates we are able to keep the carrier density constant and deform the hole gas wavefunction such that the holes are pushed up against or moved further away from the heterointerface. Thus we are able to separately investigate the various scattering mechanisms that determine the mobility, and compare the experimental data with theoretical calculations based on the shape of the wavefunction.     

Schottky barrier height of a new ohmic contact NiSi2 to n-type 6H-SiC

We present a new ohmic contact material NiSi₂ to n-type 6H-SiC with a low specific contact resistance. NiSi₂ films are prepared by annealing the Ni and Si films separately deposited on (0 0 0 1)-oriented 6H-SiC substrates with carrier concentrations (n) ranging from 5.8×10¹⁶ to 2.5×10¹⁹ cm⁻³. The deposited films are annealed at 900 °C for 10 min in a flow of Ar gas containing 5 vol.% H₂ gas. The specific contact resistance of NiSi₂ contact exponentially decreases with increasing carrier concentrations of substrates. NiSi₂ contacts formed on the substrates with n=2.5×10¹⁹ cm⁻³ show a relatively low specific contact resistance with 3.6×10⁻⁶ Ω cm². Schottky barrier height of NiSi₂ to n-type 6H-SiC is estimated to be 0.40±0.02 eV using a theoretical relationship for the carrier concentration dependence of the specific contact resistance.     

Quantum effects in Si n-MOS inversion layer at high substrate concentration

The charge distribution at the semiconductgor-insulator interface is calculated for electrons by solving Schrödinger's and Poisson's equations self-consistently for particles obeying Fermi-Dirac statistics at 300 K. The results are applied to carriers in the channel of a crystalline MOSFET with the (100) axis perpendicular to the gate oxide. The inversion charge density calculated quantum mechanically is smaller than that calculated classically. This affects the shift of the subthreshold curves. The shift is larger at higher substrate impurity concentrations, and is especially pronounced at more than 10¹⁷ cm⁻³, which is the concentration used in recent MOS devices. The shift is as large as 0.18 V when the substrate impurity concentration is 8.5 × 10¹⁷ cm⁻³. Comparisons with measurement are also shown and it agrees well with quantum mechanical calculations. The inversion layer depth is compared, and a new efficient method is derived by transferring the quantum mechanical effect into the classical calculation. The results of this new method agree well with the quantum mechanical calculations and with the measurements.     

A study of noise in surface and buried channel SiGe MOSFETs with gate oxide grown by low temperature plasma anodization

A study is made of noise in p- and n-channel transistors incorporating SiGe surface and buried channels, over the frequency range f=1 Hz–100 kHz. The gate oxide is grown by low temperature plasma oxidation. Surface n-channel devices are found to exhibit two noise components namely 1/f and generation–recombination (GR) noise. It is shown that the 1/f noise component is due to fluctuations of charge in slow oxide traps whilst bulk centers located in a thin layer of the semiconductor close to the channel, give rise to the GR noise component. The analysis of the noise data gives values for the density D_ot of the oxide traps in the SiGe and Si nMOSFETs of the order 1.8×10¹² and 2.5×10¹⁰ cm⁻² (eV)⁻¹, respectively. The density D_GR of the bulk GR centres is equal to 3×10¹⁰ cm⁻² in both the SiGe and Si devices. The electron and hole capture cross-sections for these centres as well as their energy level and their depth below the oxide/semiconductor interface are also the same in the devices of both types. This suggests that those GR centers are of the same nature in all devices studied. p-Channel devices show different behaviour with only a 1/f noise component apparent in the data over the same frequency range. Buried SiGe channel and Si control devices exhibit quite low and similar slow state densities of the order low to mid 10¹⁰ cm⁻² (eV)⁻¹ whereas surface p-channel devices show even higher slow state densities than n-channel counterparts. The Hooge noise characterized by the Hooge coefficient _H=2×10⁻⁵ is also detected in some buried p-channel SiGe devices.     

Selenium doped high-index GaAs epilayers grown by molecular beam epitaxy

Using elementary Se we grew Se-doped GaAs films on GaAs (111), (411), (711) and (100) substrates by molecular beam epitaxy. The films grown on all the high-index substrates showed n-type conduction and the maximum carrier concentration reached 2.1 × 10¹⁹ cm⁻³ for the film grown on the (411)B substrate. The carrier concentration began to saturate at a Se concentration near 10¹⁹ cm⁻³ but continued to increase up to a Se concentration of 2 × 10²⁰ cm⁻³. Above 2 × 10²⁰ cm⁻³ Se concentration, slow reduction of the carrier concentration was observed. We obtained excellent surface morphology when n-type GaAs films were grown on (411)A and (711)B substrates even at a Se concentration of 7 × 10²⁰ cm⁻³.     

An investigation of LixNi1−x,O as a mixed-valence thermoelectric material

The mixed valence material, Li_xNi_1−xO, has been investigated as a potential thermoelectric material. Measurements of the Seebeck coefficient, (μ V/°C), electrical resistivity, ρ(Ω-cm), and thermal conductivity, k(W/cm°C) have been made as a function of temperature and lithium concentration. The thermoelectric figure of merit, Z(²/ρk), reaches a value of approximately 1·4×10⁻⁴ at 1100°C for the composition Li_0.04Ni_0.96O.     

Lateral tunneling transistors fabricated by plane-dependent Si-doping in nonplanar epitaxy on GaAs (311)A and (411)A substrates

We have demonstrated the lateral tunneling transistors on GaAs (311)A and (411)A patterned substrates by using the plane-dependent Si-doping technique. Lateral p⁺-n⁺ tunneling junctions are formed by growing heavily Si-doped layers on patterned substrates. Current—voltage curves for both transistors show gate-controlled negative differential resistance characteristics. Furthermore, the peak current density of the lateral tunneling diodes fabricated on the (311)A patterned substrates increases as buffer layer thickness is increased, and a typical peak current density of 58 A/cm² for p = 6 × 10¹⁹ cm⁻³ and n = 7 × 10¹⁸ cm⁻³ is obtained when the buffer layer thickness is 1.2 μm. This study shows that plane-dependent Si-doping in non-planar epitaxy is a promising technique for fabricating tunneling transistors.     

Avalanche breakdown voltage of GaAs hyperabrupt junctions

The avalanche breakdown voltage of a GaAs hyperabrupt junction diode is calculated by using unequal ionization rates for electrons and holes, and shown graphically as a function of the parameters which characterize the impurity profile of the diode. The breakdown voltage decreases abruptly at the critical point of the characteristic length L_c which varies in accordance with the impurity concentration N₀ at X = 0. For example, the critical length L_c is 7.7 × 10⁻⁶ cm and 3.3 × 10⁻⁵ cm for N₀ = 1 × 10¹⁸ cm⁻³ and 1 × 10¹⁷ cm⁻³, respectively. The breakdown voltage of a diode with extremely short or long characteristic length can be estimated from the results for corresponding abrupt junctions. The experimental results agree well with the calculated ones.     

n-Channel AlSb/GaSb modulation-doped field-effect transistors

We report the first fabrication of a GaSb n-channel modulation-doped field-effect transistor (MODFET) grown by molecular beam epitaxy. The modulation-doped structure exhibits a room temperature Hall mobility of 3140 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹ and 77 K value of 16000 cm² V⁻¹ s⁻¹, with corresponding sheet carrier densities of 1.3 × 10¹² cm⁻² and 1.2 × 10¹² cm⁻². Devices with 1 μm gate length yield transconductances of 180 mS mm⁻¹ and output of 5 mS mm⁻¹ at 85 K. The device characteristics indicate that electron transport in the channel occurs primarily via the L-valley of GaSb above 85 K. The effective electron saturation velocity is estimated to be 0.9 × 10⁷ cm s⁻¹. Calculations show that a complementary circuit consisting of GaSb n- and p-channel MODFETs can provide at least two times improvement in performance over AlGaAs/GaAs complementary circuits.     

Estimation for the capture cross-sections of surface state on p-Si surface by photovoltaic method

A new method which can nondestructively measure the surface-state density (SSD) D_s and estimate the capture cross-sections (CCS) of surface state σ⁰_n and σ⁻_p on surface of p-type semiconductor crystals is proposed. This method is based on the photovoltage measurements at various temperatures. The photovoltage experiment was carried out with a (1 1 1) p-type Si single crystal (N_A=4.8×10¹⁴ cm ⁻³). Owing to that the surface barrier height φ_BP=0.6421 V and the surface-recombination velocity s_n=9.6×10³ cm s⁻¹ of this sample can be determined, the SSD D_s=1.2×10¹¹ cm⁻² eV⁻¹ can therefore be obtained, furthermore CCS σ⁰_n≈5×10⁻¹⁴ cm² and σ⁻_p≈2×10⁻¹⁰ cm² can also be estimated. These results are consistent with that of related reports obtained by other methods.     

Intersubband lifetimes in Si/SiGe quantum wells

In the present work we report the first measurement of intersubband lifetimes in Si/Si_1−xGe_x quantum well samples. We have determined T₁ by a time resolved pump and probe experiment using the far infrared picosecond free electron laser source FELIX at Rijnhuizen, the Netherlands. In a sample with a well width of 50 Å and a sheet density of 2.1 × 10¹² cm⁻² we find a lifetime of 30 ps while 20 ps is observed for a density of 1.1 × 10¹² cm⁻² and a well width of 75 Å. We discuss acoustic phonon, as well as optical phonon intersubband scattering as possible limiting processes for the observed lifetimes in Si/SiGe and GaAs/AlGaAs quantum wells.