Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-c47g7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-25T01:09:12.134Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Low Temperature Synthesis of Nanocrystalline Silicon and Silicon Oxide Films by Plasma Chemical Vapor Deposition

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2011

Atsushi Tomyo
Affiliation:
tomyo@rd.nissin.co.jp, Nissin Electric Co., Ltd., Process Research Center, R & D Laboratories, 47 Umezu, Takase, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto, 615-8686, Japan, 81(75)864-8348, 81(75)861-4878
Hirokazu Kaki
Affiliation:
Kaki_Hirokazu@nissin.co.jp, Nissin Electric Co., Ltd., Process Research Center, R & D Laboratories, 47 Umezu, Takase, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto, 615-8686, Japan
Eiji Takahashi
Affiliation:
etakaha@rd.nissin.co.jp, Nissin Electric Co., Ltd., Process Research Center, R & D Laboratories, 47 Umezu, Takase, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto, 615-8686, Japan
Tsukasa Hayashi
Affiliation:
hayashi@rd.nissin.co.jp, Nissin Electric Co., Ltd., Process Research Center, R & D Laboratories, 47 Umezu, Takase, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto, 615-8686, Japan
Kiyoshi Ogata
Affiliation:
Ogata_Kiyoshi@nissin.co.jp, Nissin Electric Co., Ltd., Process Research Center, R & D Laboratories, 47 Umezu, Takase, Ukyo-ku, Kyoto, 615-8686, Japan
Yukiharu Uraoka
Affiliation:
uraoka@ms.aist-nara.ac.jp, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, Graduate School of Materials Science, 8916-5 Takayama, Ikoma, Nara, 630-0192, Japan
Get access

Abstract

Nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si) and SiO2 films have been synthesized at a low substrate temperature using inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition (ICP-CVD) methods with internal low-inductance antenna (LIA) units. The synthesis of these materials was performed in the separate vacuum containers where LIA units were installed so that the induced electric field from an antenna could be used effectively. Radio frequency (13.56 MHz) power was supplied through the matching circuit units. H2 and SiH4 gases were used for nc-Si synthesis, and O2 and SiH4 gases were used for SiO2 deposition. The gas flow ratios were 15 for H2/SiH4 and 4.0 for O2/SiH4. A substrate temperature, gas pressure, RF power and process time were varied in order to investigate optimum conditions for nc-Si synthesis. Silicon oxide films were deposited under conditions of 300°C, 0.2 Pa and 24 mW/cm3. A sample was prepared by SiO2 deposition and subsequent nc-Si synthesis after removing the natural oxide on silicon substrate by buffered 1%-HF (BHF) solution. In some cases, plasma treatments were inserted before or after nc-Si synthesis. The diameter and number density of nc-Si were determined by a high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). Plan-view TEM images of nc-Si showed that spatially isolated nc-Si was synthesized and that the diameter and the standard deviation of nc-Si could be controlled not only with a substrate temperature, gas pressure, RF power and process time but also with pre/post plasma treatments. The resultant trend suggests that radical precursors and reactive nucleation sites on the SiO2 surface have an important role in the synthesis of nc-Si. The diameter of almost all nc-Si under the present conditions was less than 10 nm. In particular, under conditions of the substrate temperature of 200°C and 4.0 Pa with oxygen plasma pretreatment and hydrogen plasma posttreatment, the mean diameter and number density of nc-Si were 2.7 ± 0.5 nm and 6.5 × 1011 cm−2, respectively. This result is suitable for quantum effect device applications. In addition, electronic properties of a single SiO2 film were examined with the fabricated metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) capacitor. Breakdown voltage was 7.5 MV/cm at 1.0 × 10−6 A/cm2 and leakage current was 1.0 × 10−9 A/cm2 at 2.0 MV/cm for a SiO2 film with a thickness of 12 nm. This result clearly supports the present SiO2 film is capable of the thin dielectric layer of nc-Si devices.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

1. Canham, L. T. Appl. Phys. Lett. 57, 1046 (1990).Google Scholar
2. Oda, S. Mater. Sci. Eng. B00, 1 (2003).Google Scholar
3. Tiwari, S. Rana, F. Hanafi, H. Hartstein, A. Crabbe, EF and Chan, K. Appl. Phys. Lett. 68, 1377 (1996).Google Scholar
4. Naito, S. Satake, M. Kondo, H. Sakashita, M. Sakai, A. Zaima, S. and Yasuda, Y. Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 43, 3779 (2004).Google Scholar
5. Takahashi, E. Nishigami, Y. Tomyo, A. Fujiwara, M. Kaki, H. Kubota, K. Hayashi, T. Ogata, K. Ebe, A. and Setsuhara, Y. Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 46, 1280 (2007).Google Scholar
6. Setsuhara, Y. Miyake, S. Sakawa, Y. and Shoji, T. Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 38, 4263 (1999).Google Scholar
7. Sugiyama, N. Tezuka, T. and Kurobe, A. J. Crystal Growth 192, 395 (1998).Google Scholar
8. Numasawa, Y. and Koshida, N. U.S. Patent No. 7 091 138 (15 Aug. 2006).Google Scholar
9. Tomyo, A. Kaki, H. Takahashi, E. Hayashi, T. and Ogata, K. Proc. of 4th Thin Film Materials & Devices Meeting, Kyoto (in press).Google Scholar
10. Miyazaki, S. hamamoto, Y. Yoshida, E., Ikeda, M. and Hirose, M., Thin Solid Films 369, 55 (2000).Google Scholar
11. Inoue, Y. and Takai, O. J. Jpn. Soc. of Plasma Science and Nuclear Fusion Research 76, 1068 (2000).Google Scholar
12. Morimoto, Y. Igarashi, T. and Okanuma, T. J. Non-Crys. Solids. 179, 260 (1994).Google Scholar
13. Shiratani, M. Fukuzawa, T. and Watanabe, Y. Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 38, 4542 (1999).Google Scholar
14. Tomyo, A. Kaki, H. Takahashi, E. Hayashi, T. Ogata, K. Ichikawa, K. Uraoka, Y. and Setsuhara, Yuichi, Proc. of the 24th Symp. of Plasma Processing, Osaka, Japan, 2007, p. 35.Google Scholar