The precipitation of Fe at the Si-SiO2 interface

J. Wong-Leung*, D. J. Eaglesham, J. Sapjeta, D. C. Jacobson, J. M. Poate, J. S. Williams

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

46 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We report on the precipitation kinetics of Fe contamination at Si-SiO2 interfaces during dry oxidation at 900°C. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy are used to monitor the interface roughness and precipitate density for oxides formed in the presence of both bulk and surface contamination of the Si. We show that the precipitating phase is β-FeSi2, the equilibrium Fe-Si phase (rather than α-FeSi2 or an iron silicate or iron oxide). The interface precipitate density is proportional to the surface Fe, and differs in float-zone and Czochralski Si. These precipitates correlate with the presence of sharp asperities at the interface. Detectable Fe precipitation is measured in TEM for contamination levels down to 1 × 1013 cm-2. In contrast, bulk contamination to above the solid solubility does not generate observable precipitation at the oxide interface.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)580-584
Number of pages5
JournalJournal of Applied Physics
Volume83
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 1998

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