Precise determination of band offsets and chemical states in SiN/Si studied by photoemission spectroscopy and x-ray absorption spectroscopy

Journal Article · Mon Sep 05 00:00:00 EDT 2005 · Applied Physics Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2035894· OSTI ID:20709728

Toyoda, S; Okabayashi, J; Kumigashira, H; Oshima, M; Liu, G L; Liu, Z; Ikeda, K; Usuda, K ^[1]

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1. Department of Applied Chemistry, University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8656 (Japan)

We have investigated chemical states and band offsets in SiN/Si by photoemission spectroscopy and x-ray absorption spectroscopy. N 1s photoemission spectra in SiN for three kinds of layer-thickness films are fitted by a single component, suggesting that a nitrogen atom is surrounded by three silicon and nine nitrogen atoms for the first and the second nearest neighbor, respectively. Valence-band offsets between SiN and the Si substrates are determined to be 1.6 eV using valence-band spectra by subtracting the contribution from Si substrates. Band gap of SiN is estimated to be 5.6-5.7 eV from valence-band, N 1s core level, and N K-edge-absorption spectra. Furthermore, time-dependent measurements of N 1s photoemission spectra reveal that the x-ray irradiation time is a significant factor to determine the precise valence-band offsets excluding the differential charging effects.

• OSTI ID: 20709728
• Journal Information: Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 87, Issue 10; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.2035894; (c) 2005 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
ABSORPTION SPECTRA
ABSORPTION SPECTROSCOPY
CHEMICAL STATE
ENERGY GAP
EV RANGE 01-10
FILMS
IRRADIATION
LAYERS
NITROGEN
PHOTOELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY
PHOTOEMISSION
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS
SILICON
SILICON NITRIDES
SUBSTRATES
THICKNESS
TIME DEPENDENCE
VALENCE
X-RAY SPECTRA
X-RAY SPECTROSCOPY