Quantitative determination of the clustered silicon concentration in substoichiometric silicon oxide layer
- Istituto per la Microelettronica e Microsistemi-CNR, Stradale Primosole 50, I-95121 Catania (Italy)
We present an analytical methodology, based on electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) and energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy, which allows us to quantify the clustered silicon concentration in annealed substoichiometric silicon oxide layers, deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition. The clustered Si volume fraction was deduced from a fit to the experimental EELS spectrum using a theoretical description proposed to calculate the dielectric function of a system of spherical particles of equal radii, located at random in a host material. The methodology allowed us to demonstrate that the clustered Si concentration is only one half of the excess Si concentration dissolved in the layer.
- OSTI ID:
- 20702514
- Journal Information:
- Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 87, Issue 4; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.1999839; (c) 2005 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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