Electric characteristics of Si3N4 films formed by directly radical nitridation on Si (110) and Si (100) surfaces.

Higuchi, Masakazu; Aratani, Takashi; Hamada, T.; Teramoto, Akinobu; Hattori, Takeo; Sugawa, Shigetoshi; Ohmi, Tadahiro; Shinagawa, Seiji; Nohira, Hiroshi; Ikenaga, Eiji; Kobayashi, Keisuke

doi:10.7567/ssdm.2006.j-3-4

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 2 publications

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“…2e for the a -Si 3 N 4 /Si(100) heterojunction) and m h * = 0.77, indicating that charge transport through the a -Si 3 N 4 layer is governed by tunneling and can be observed only when the defect density is sufficiently low so that thermally assisted conduction is suppressed significantly. This leads to a remarkable reduction of the J G of the ultrathin a -Si 3 N 4 by 4 orders of magnitude compared with J G values reports for other a -SiN x films and enables a wider V G range for low-power operation 37 38 . Furthermore, no breakdown of PA-ABD a -Si 3 N 4 for 2.1 nm is caused by the tunneling currents flowing though the dielectric due to direct tunneling, thus lowering the strength of the local electric field in the dielectric layer.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 87%

Approaching Defect-free Amorphous Silicon Nitride by Plasma-assisted Atomic Beam Deposition for High Performance Gate Dielectric

Tsai

Wang

Lee

et al. 2016

Sci Rep

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In the past few decades, gate insulators with a high dielectric constant (high-k dielectric) enabling a physically thick but dielectrically thin insulating layer, have been used to replace traditional SiOx insulator and to ensure continuous downscaling of Si-based transistor technology. However, due to the non-silicon derivative natures of the high-k metal oxides, transport properties in these dielectrics are still limited by various structural defects on the hetero-interfaces and inside the dielectrics. Here, we show that another insulating silicon compound, amorphous silicon nitride (a-Si3N4), is a promising candidate of effective electrical insulator for use as a high-k dielectric. We have examined a-Si3N4 deposited using the plasma-assisted atomic beam deposition (PA-ABD) technique in an ultra-high vacuum (UHV) environment and demonstrated the absence of defect-related luminescence; it was also found that the electronic structure across the a-Si3N4/Si heterojunction approaches the intrinsic limit, which exhibits large band gap energy and valence band offset. We demonstrate that charge transport properties in the metal/a-Si3N4/Si (MNS) structures approach defect-free limits with a large breakdown field and a low leakage current. Using PA-ABD, our results suggest a general strategy to markedly improve the performance of gate dielectric using a nearly defect-free insulator.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 87%

Approaching Defect-free Amorphous Silicon Nitride by Plasma-assisted Atomic Beam Deposition for High Performance Gate Dielectric

Tsai

Wang

Lee

et al. 2016

Sci Rep

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“…There are two well-known structures of silicon nitride: α-Si 3 N 4 and β-Si 3 N 4 ; both have a hexagonal structure. Among them, α-Si 3 N 4 and β-Si 3 N 4 can be formed under normal pressure, while γ-Si 3 N 4 (cubic spinel lattice) can be formed under a high temperature and pressure [2][3][4]. In addition, it is used as a wide-band-gap semiconductor (e.g., 4.7 eV) [5,6].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Growth of Si3N4 Thin Films on Si(111) Surface by RF-N2 Plasma Nitriding

Chen

et al. 2020

Coatings

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Ultra-thin Si3N4 films were grown on Si(111) surface by radio frequency (RF)-N2 plasma exposure at 900 °C with 1–1.2 sccm of a flux of atomic nitrogen. We discuss the effect of various conditions such as N2 flow rate, nitriding time and RF power on the optical, chemical, and structural properties of a nitrided Si3N4 layer. The optical properties, surface morphology and chemical composition are investigated by using ellipsometry, atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Cross-sectional TEM images show that an RF power of 350 W induced some damage to the Si(111) surface. The thickness of nitrided Si3N4 was measured to be about 5–7 nm. XPS results shown that the binding energy of Si 2p3/2 located at 101.9 ± 0.1 eV is attributed to the Si–N bonds in the Si3N4 compound. Smooth Si3N4 ultra-thin films were obtained at a nitridation time close to 1 h with an RF power of 300 W, with a measured refractive index (n) nearly to 1.88 at 632 nm. The increase in refractive index with decreased RF-plasma power and nitrogen flow rate is probably attributed to the change in the stoichiometry of the film and less surface damage.

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Electric characteristics of Si3N4 films formed by directly radical nitridation on Si (110) and Si (100) surfaces.

Cited by 2 publications

References 2 publications

Approaching Defect-free Amorphous Silicon Nitride by Plasma-assisted Atomic Beam Deposition for High Performance Gate Dielectric

Approaching Defect-free Amorphous Silicon Nitride by Plasma-assisted Atomic Beam Deposition for High Performance Gate Dielectric

Growth of Si3N4 Thin Films on Si(111) Surface by RF-N2 Plasma Nitriding

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