Low temperature silicon dioxide by thermal atomic layer deposition: Investigation of material properties

Hiller D, Zierold R, Bachmann J, Alexe M, Yang Y, Gerlach JW, Stesmans A, Jivanescu M, Mueller U, Vogt J, Hilmer H, Loeper P, Kuenle M, Munnik F, Nielsch K, Zacharias M (2010)

Publication Status: Published

Publication Type: Journal article, Original article

Publication year: 2010

Journal

Journal of Applied Physics AIP Publishing

Publisher: American Institute of Physics (AIP)

Book Volume: 107

DOI: 10.1063/1.3327430

Abstract

SiO(2) is the most widely used dielectric material but its growth or deposition involves high thermal budgets or suffers from shadowing effects. The low-temperature method presented here (150 degrees C) for the preparation of SiO(2) by thermal atomic layer deposition (ALD) provides perfect uniformity and surface coverage even into nanoscale pores, which may well suit recent demands in nanoelectronics and nanotechnology. The ALD reaction based on 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, water, and ozone provides outstanding SiO(2) quality and is free of catalysts or corrosive by-products. A variety of optical, structural, and electrical properties are investigated by means of infrared spectroscopy, UV-Vis spectroscopy, secondary ion mass spectrometry, capacitance-voltage and current-voltage measurements, electron spin resonance, Rutherford backscattering, elastic recoil detection analysis, atomic force microscopy, and variable angle spectroscopic ellipsometry. Many features, such as the optical constants (n, k) and optical transmission and surface roughness (1.5 A degrees), are found to be similar to thermal oxide quality. Rapid thermal annealing (RTA) at 1000 degrees C is demonstrated to significantly improve certain properties, in particular by reducing the etch rate in hydrofluoric acid, oxide charges, and interface defects. Besides a small amount of OH groups and a few atomic per mille of nitrogen in the oxide remaining from the growth and curable by RTA no impurities could be traced. Altogether, the data point to a first reliable low temperature ALD-growth process for silicon dioxide.

Authors with CRIS profile

Julien Bachmann Lehrstuhl für Chemistry of thin film materials

Involved external institutions

Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg DE Germany (DE) Universität Hamburg (UHH) DE Germany (DE) Max-Planck-Institut für Mikrostrukturphysik (MSP) / Max Planck Institute for Microstructure Physics DE Germany (DE) Leibniz-Institute für Oberflächenmodifizierung e. V. (IOM) / Leibniz Institute of Surface Modification DE Germany (DE) Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (KUL) / Catholic University of Leuven BE Belgium (BE) Eidgenössische Materialprüfungs- und Forschungsanstalt (Empa) / Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science & Technology CH Switzerland (CH) Universität Leipzig DE Germany (DE) Fraunhofer-Institut für Solare Energiesysteme (ISE) / Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems DE Germany (DE) Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Hiller, D., Zierold, R., Bachmann, J., Alexe, M., Yang, Y., Gerlach, J.W.,... Zacharias, M. (2010). Low temperature silicon dioxide by thermal atomic layer deposition: Investigation of material properties. Journal of Applied Physics, 107. https://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.3327430

MLA:

Hiller, Daniel, et al. "Low temperature silicon dioxide by thermal atomic layer deposition: Investigation of material properties." Journal of Applied Physics 107 (2010).

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