Silicon sputtering

Figure 3.17 Silicon sputter yields from a Silicon substrate as a function of Cs ion energy and angle of incidence (with respect to the surface normal). The symbols represent experimentally derived values, whereas the line relay the calculated values based on TRIM simulations (see Section 3.2.1.3). In the insets are AFM images from the surfaces following sputtering under the respective conditions indicated by the arrows. Reproduced with permission from van der Heide et al. (2003) Copyright 2003 Elsevier.

The deposition of amoriDhous hydrogenated silicon (a-Si H) from a silane plasma doped witli diborane (B2 Hg) or phosphine (PH ) to produce p-type or n-type silicon is important in tlie semiconductor industry. The plasma process produces films witli a much lower defect density in comparison witli deposition by sputtering or evaporation. 

Barish E L, Vitkavage D J and Mayer T M 1985 Sputtering of chlorinated silicon surfaces studied by secondary ion mass spectrometry and ion scattering spectroscopy J. AppL Phys. 57 1336-42... 

Barone M E and Graves D B 1995 Chemical and physical sputtering of fluorinated silicon J. Appi. Phys. 77 1263-74... 

Experimental curves for the angular dependence of the fluorescence intensity from plated or sputtered submonatomic Ni layers (open triangles), layers produced by the evaporation of a Ni salt solution (open circles), and the silicon substrate (filled circles). 

Figure 3a Unprocessed depth profile (secondary ion intensity versus sputtering time) of a silicon sample containing a boron ion implant.

If a sample of polycrystalline material is rotated during the sputtering process, the individual grains will be sputtered from multiple directions and nonuniform removal of material can be prevented. This technique has been successfully used in AES analysis to characterize several materials, including metal films. Figure 9 indicates the improvement in depth resolution obtained in an AES profile of five cycles of nickel and chromium layers on silicon. Each layer is about 50 nm thick, except for a thinner nickel layer at the surface, and the total structure thickness is about 0.5 pm. There can be a problem if the surface is rough and the analysis area is small (less than 0.1-pm diameter), as is typical for AES. In this case the area of interest can rotate on and off of a specific feature and the profile will be jagged. 

The ratio Db/Da is a so-called relative sensitivity factor D. This ratio is mostly determined by one element, e. g. the element for insulating samples, silicon, which is one of the main components of glasses. By use of the equation that the sum of the concentrations of all elements is equal to unity, the bulk concentrations can be determined directly from the measured intensities and the known D-factors, if all components of the sample are known. The linearity of the detected intensity and the flux of the sputtered neutrals in IBSCA and SNMS has been demonstrated for silicate glasses [4.253]. For SNMS the lower matrix dependence has been shown for a variety of samples [4.263]. Comparison of normalized SNMS and IBSCA signals for Na and Pb as prominent components of optical glasses shows that a fairly good linear dependence exists (Fig. 4.49). 

Figure 17. PMC behavior in the accumulation region, (a) PMC potential curve and photocurrent-potential curve (dashed line) for silicon (dotted with Pt particles) in contact with propylene carbonate electrolyte containing ferrocene.21 (b) PMC potential curve and photocurrent-potential curve (dashed line) for a sputtered ZnO layer [resistivity 1,5 x 103 ft cm, on conducting glass (ITO)] in contact with an alkaline electrolyte (NaOH, pH = 12), measured against a saturated calomel electrode.22...

To mitigate the problem, a diffusion barrier is incorporated between the aluminum and the silicon (see Sec. 5 below). It is also possible to replace aluminum by alloys of aluminum and copper or aluminum and silicon, which have less tendency to electromigration. These alloys are usually deposited by bias sputtering. However, they offer only a temporary solution as electromigration will still occur as greater densities of circuit elements are introduced. It was recently determined that improvements in the deposition of aluminum by MOCVD at low temperature with a dimethyl aluminum hydride precursor may reduce the problem.bl... 

Titanium-tungsten is an intermetal lie, composed mostly of tungsten. It is an excellent barrier if it is stuffed, that is, with nitrogen added into the crystalline defects. It prevents diffusion of silicon into aluminum up to 500°C. It is deposited mostly by sputtering. 

Chemical alternation of the surface layer and deposition of a new layer on top of the silicone mbber can be achieved by physical techniques. For the inert surface of silicone rubber, the former requires the generation of high-energy species, such as radicals, ions, or molecules in excited electronic states. In the latter case, coatings of atoms or atomic clusters are deposited on polymer surfaces using technique such as plasma (sputtering and plasma polymerization) or energy-induced sublimation, like thermal or electron beam-induced evaporation. 

Some physical techniques can be classified into flame treatments, corona treatments, cold plasma treatments, ultraviolet (UV) treatment, laser treatments, x-ray treatments, electron-beam treatments, ion-beam treatments, and metallization and sputtering, in which corona, plasma, and laser treatments are the most commonly used methods to modify silicone polymers. In the presence of oxygen, high-energy-photon treatment induces the formation of radical sites at surfaces these sites then react with atmospheric oxygen forming oxygenated functions. 

Chemical Vapor Deposition- Deposition of silicon oxide films is accomplished by CVD equipment. Either plasma CVD or ozone oxidation is used. Blanket tungsten films are also deposited by CVD equipment to create contact and via plugs. Polysilicon and silicon nitride films are deposited in hot-wall furnaces. TiN diffusion barrier films are deposited by either sputtering or CVD, the latter giving superior step coverage. 

Once the silicon disc is cleaned, the first step is diffuse ions into either side of the silieon disc to first form either the p-layer or the n-layer. Some manufacturers like to have the n-layer closer to the light source, as shown in the above diagram, while others prefer the opposite. At any rate, ions like and are generally used to form the active electrical layers. A number of differing processes have been developed to do this, the exact nature of which depending upon the speeific manufacturer of solar cells. Sputtering, vapor-phase and evaporation are used. The most common process uses a volatile boron or phosphorous compound to contact the surface. 

In all of the studies described above, the CuaSi samples were prepared by ion bombardment at 330 K followed by cooling of the surface to 180 K before adsorbing the methyl radicals and chlorine. AES studies as well as ion scattering results in the literature [7, 15] show that this procedure produces a surface that is enriched in silicon compared with the Cu3Si bulk stoicWometry. We have found that surfaces with less Si enrichment (possibly even copper enriched relative to the bulk stoichiometry) can be prepared by ion bombardment at temperatures below 300 K. Specifically, Cu(60 eV)/Si(92 eV) Auger peak ratios of 1.2 - 1.7 compared with a ratio of 0.5 at 400 K can be obteiined by sputtering at 180 K. 

Figure 3. Valence band spectra of Co/Si(100). Upper curve UPS spectra for 100 nm thick Co/Si(l 1 1) film middle curve thinned 4-5 nm Co/Si(l 1 1) film after ion etching (Co nanoparticles) lower curve clean silicon substrate after removing the Co layer by in situ sputtering. The photoemission data were obtained by He(I) excitation. (Reprinted from Ref [78], 1994, with permission from Springer.)...

Figure 5. Morphology and particle size distribution of an island silver thin film deposited on native oxide covered silicon (a) before ion bombardment and after (b) 0.5 keV Ar sputtering with 1.1 X 10, (c) 2.5 X 10, and (d) 3.9 x 10 ion/cm dose. Sputtering speed for silver was around 3-4ML/min. Total elapsed sputtering time is indicated on each size distribution graphs. (Reprinted from Ref [123], 2003, with permission from Springer.)...

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