A Spectroscopic Immersion Ellipsometry Study of the Mechanism of Si/SiO2 Interface Annealing
Abstract
In this study we apply an interface sensitive ellipsometry technique to study the evolution of the Si-SiO, interface as a function of high temperature annealing (750-1100C). Essentially, the ellipsometry technique embodies the use of liquids that refractive index match with the bulk film thereby removing the optical response of the overlayer and greatly enhancing sensitivity to the interface. According to both time and temperature of anneal, distinct modes of behavior are observed for the evolution of the interface. For short anneal times a rapid change in the interface is observed that correlates with the disappearance of protrusions, followed by a slower change that correlates with the disappearance of the suboxide. At high temperatures viscous relaxation dominates while at low temperatures the suboxide reduction is apparent. A model for the interface in terms of chemical and physical interface processes is proposed and model parameters are compared with literature results.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Nov 01, 1991
- Accession Number
- ADA242831
Entities
People
- Eugene A. Irene
- Qingcao Liu
- V. A. Yakovlev
Organizations
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill