SiOx layer formation during plasma sputtering of Si and SiO 2 targets

A. N. Karpov, D. V. Marin, V. A. Volodin, J. Jedrzejewski, G. A. Kachurin, E. Savir, N. L. Shwartz, Z. Sh Yanovitskaya, I. Balberg, Y. Goldstein

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

13 Scopus citations

Abstract

Deposition of SiO x layers of variable composition onto silicon wafers was performed by co-sputtering of spaced Si and SiO2 targets in argon plasma. Coordinate dependences of the thickness and refractive index of separately deposited Si and SiO2 layers and the SiO x layer grown during co-sputtering of targets were determined using optical techniques. It was shown that the SiO x layer composition is not equal to a simple sum of thicknesses of separately deposited Si and SiO 2 layers. The coordinate dependences of the Si and SiO2 layer thicknesses were calculated. To fit the calculated and experimental data, it is necessary to assume that no less than 10% of silicon is converted to dioxide during co-sputtering. A comparison of the coordinate dependences of the IR absorbance in SiO2 and SiO x layers with experimental ellipsometric data confirmed the presence of excess oxygen in the SiO x layer. Taking into account such partial oxidation of sputtered silicon, composition isolines in the substrate plane were calculated. After annealing of the SiO x layer at 1200°C, photoluminescence was observed in a wafer area predicted by calculations, which was caused by the formation of quantum-size Si nanocrystallites. The photoluminescence intensity was maximum at x = 1.78 ± 0.3, which is close to the composition optimum for ion-beam synthesis of nanocrystals.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)731-736
Number of pages6
JournalSemiconductors
Volume42
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2008

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