Articles you may be interested inFormation of Pd nanocrystals in titanium-oxide film by rapid thermal annealing of reactively cosputtered TiPdO films J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 29, 021006 (2011); 10.1116/1.3549112 Thermal oxidation of polycrystalline tungsten nanowire J. Appl. Phys. 108, 094312 (2010); 10.1063/1.3504248 Relieving Sn whisker growth driven by oxidation on Cu leadframe by annealing and reflowing treatments J. Appl. Phys. 102, 043521 (2007); 10.1063/1.2770832 Room-temperature semiconductor gas sensor based on nonstoichiometric tungsten oxide nanorod film Appl. Phys. Lett. 86, 213105 (2005); 10.1063/1.1929872X-ray photoemission spectroscopy and scanning tunneling spectroscopy study on the thermal stability of WO 3 thin films Tungsten oxide whiskers were prepared on a tungsten thin film by oxidation with H 2 O and a subsequent annealing treatment at a temperature of over 900°C in a vacuum. The tungsten oxide formed by oxidation was transformed into smooth, straight whiskers with a monoclinic-crystalline structure after the vacuum annealing treatment. The whiskers showed an oxygen-deficient stoichiometry and a crystalline structure consistent with W 18 O 49 , which was dependent on the annealing temperature and vacuum used. The competition between the whisker growth and the dissociation of W oxide has a significant effect on the crystal shape, as well as the size of the whiskers. A change in the binding state during whisker formation indicates that some of the dissociated W oxide contributes to whisker formation and that crystalline whiskers are grown at nucleation sites through this process.

The characteristics of N-incorporated HfO2–Al2O3 alloy films (HfAlO) were investigated by high-resolution x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), near-edge x-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS), medium-energy ion scattering (MEIS), and capacitance–voltage measurements. The core-level energy states, Hf4f and Al2p peaks of a 15Å thick film showed a shift to lower binding energy, resulting from the incorporation of nitrogen into the films. Absorption spectra of the OK edge of HfAlO were affected mainly by the Al2O3 in the film, and not by HfO2 after nitridation by NH3 annealing. The NEXAFS of NK edge and XPS data related to the chemical state suggested that the incorporated N atom is dominantly bonded to Al2O3, and not to HfO2. Moreover, MEIS results implied that there is a significant incorporation of N at the interface between the alloy film and Si. The incorporation of N effectively suppressed the leakage current without an increase in interfacial layer thickness, while the interfacial state of the N-incorporated films increased somewhat.

Interfacial reactions as a function of the stack structure of Al2O3 and HfO2 grown on Si by atomic-layer deposition were examined by various physical and electrical measurements. In the case of an Al2O3 film with a buffer layer of HfO2, reactions between the Al2O3 and Si layers were suppressed, while a HfO2 film with an Al2O3 buffer layer on the Si readily interacted with Si, forming a Hf–Al–Si–O compound. The thickness of the interfacial layer increased dramatically after an annealing treatment in which a buffer layer of Al2O3 was used, while no change in thickness was observed in the film in which a HfO2 buffer layer was used. Moreover, the stoichiometric change caused by a different reaction process altered the chemical state of the films, which affected charge trapping and the interfacial trap density.

Zr-incorporated Gd(2)O(3) films were grown on various substrates as a function of Zr content. The extent of interfacial reactions was found to be critically dependent on both the incorporated Zr content and the substrate type. Specifically, the silicide layer was suppressed and the Gd(2)O(3) phase was changed to ZrO(2) on a Si substrate with increasing Zr content. Crystalline Gd(2)Ge(2)O(7) was grown on a Ge substrate, as the result of interfacial reactions between Gd-oxide and the Ge substrate. However, interfacial reactions were not affected by the amount of Zr incorporated. On the SiGe/Si substrate, reactions between Gd-oxide and Si could be controlled effectively by the incorporation of Zr, while the extent of reactions with Ge was significantly enhanced as the Zr content increased. The formation of an interfacial layer between the film and the SiGe substrate resulted in a textured crystalline growth.

High-quality epitaxial Pt films were grown by a sputtering deposition method using epitaxial Y2O3 as a dielectric buffer layer. A high degree of crystallinity was achieved with an ion-beam minimum channeling yield (χmin) of ∼11%, and a high degree of coherence between the film surface and interface was obtained for the Pt(111)/Y2O3(111)/Si, with a large lattice mismatch. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy results showed that the atomic arrangement at the interface between the Pt and the oxide was well ordered, and no perceptible interdiffusion was observed, even at an annealing temperature of up to 700 °C under an oxygen atmosphere. The atomic arrangement at the Pt/Y2O3 interface was drastically degraded after a high-temperature annealing at 900 °C due to the deformation of Y2O3.

The effect of annealing on SiGe films was investigated using scanning photoelectron spectroscopy ͑SPEM͒. Films annealed at a temperature above 950°C in N 2 ambient show a drastic morphological change. The difference in the chemical state between an islandlike surface and flat surface is dependent on the Si and Ge contents. In addition, the chemical state of the flat surface is closely related to differences in Si and Ge content, resulting in a donutlike shape. The oxidation of Ge is suppressed during the annealing process because of the lower heat of formation of GeO 2 than for SiO 2 . Thus, differences in content and the extent of oxidation are major determinants of the chemical state in the islandlike shape. The characteristic donutlike shape reflects kinetic changes in the SiGe content during the annealing process.

Gd 2 O 3 films, in which ZrO2 was incorporated, were epitaxially grown on Si(111) using an electron-beam evaporation and effusion method. The crystalline structure and morphological characteristics were investigated by various measurements. A silicide layer was locally formed during the initial growth stage due to interactions between elemental Gd and Si in the Gd2O3 film, resulting in poor interfacial characteristics and extensive destruction of the crystalline structure. However, the incorporation of ZrO2 influenced the unit-cell structure of Gd2O3, which contains oxygen vacancies that is located diagonally, enhancing the structural stability owing to the effective suppression of the interfacial layer. The effect on the initial growth stage as the result of incorporation improves the crystalline quality of the epitaxial Gd2O3 film and structural coherence between the film and substrate.