Slow positron studies of hydrogen activation/passivation on SiO sub 2 /Si(100) interfaces

Conference · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1991

OSTI ID:5907278

Lynn, K G; Asoka-Kumar, P

The hydrogen atoms are one of the most common impurity species found in semiconductor systems owing to its large diffusivity, and are easily incorporated either in a controlled process like in ion implantation or in an uncontrolled process like the one at the fabrication stage. Hydrogen can passivate dangling bonds and dislocations in these systems and hence can be used to enhance the electrical properties. In a SiO{sub 2}/Si system, hydrogen can passivate electronic states at the interface and can alter the fixed or mobile charges in the oxide layer. Since hydrogen is present in almost all of the environments of SiO{sub 2}/Si wafer fabrication, the activation energy of hydrogen atoms is of paramount importance to a proper understanding of SiO{sub 2}/Si based devices and has not been measured on the technologically most important Si(100) face. There are no direct, nondestructive methods available to observe hydrogen injection into the oxide layer and subsequent diffusion. This study uses the positrons as a sensitive'', nondestructive probe to observe hydrogen interaction in the oxide layer and the interface region. We also describe a new way of characterizing the changes in the density of the interface states under a low-temperature annealing using positrons. 9 refs., 6 figs.

• Research Organization: Brookhaven National Lab., Upton, NY (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: DOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC02-76CH00016
• OSTI ID: 5907278
• Report Number(s): BNL-45987; CONF-910284--3; ON: DE91010974
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

656003* -- Condensed Matter Physics-- Interactions between Beams & Condensed Matter-- (1987-)
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
ACTIVATION ENERGY
ANTILEPTONS
ANTIMATTER
ANTIPARTICLES
CHALCOGENIDES
CHEMICAL ANALYSIS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ELEMENTS
ENERGY
FERMIONS
HYDROGEN
IMPURITIES
INTERFACES
LEPTONS
NONDESTRUCTIVE ANALYSIS
NONMETALS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PASSIVATION
POSITRONS
SEMIMETALS
SILICON
SILICON COMPOUNDS
SILICON OXIDES
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE