Silicon nanocrystals precipitation in a SiO/sub 2/ matrix elaborated from the decomposition of LPCVD SiO/sub x/

Abstract

In this paper, we present results of a study which aims to obtain silicon nanocrystals (Si/sub nc/) embedded in a thin SiO/sub 2/ matrix, using high temperature annealing, from the thermal decomposition of SiO/sub x/. So, thin SiO/sub x/ films (4-10 nm) are grown from a N/sub 2/O/SiH/sub 4/ mixture in an industrial LPCVD reactor with different process parameters. Spectroscopic ellipsometry and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy are used both to determine the stoichiometry of the SO/sub x/ and the decomposition state of the film after high temperature annealing. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirms the completion of the reaction after annealing at 1000/spl deg/C for 15 minutes and transmission electron microscopy shows that the crystallinity of the silicon dots is dependent both on the stoichiometry of the SiO/sub x/ film and on the annealing temperature. Finally, some electrical results are presented and they show charge trapping in the SiO/sub x/ LPCVD layer.