Papers by Keyword: Gettering

Abstract: Metallic contamination on silicon surfaces has a detrimental impact on ULSI device performance and yield. Surface metal impurities degrade gate oxide integrity, while metal impurities dissolved in silicon provide recombination centers, resulting in junction leakage. Surface metal impurities penetrate silicon by the collision with dopant during ion implantation and are also diffused in silicon by subsequent annealing [. If metal impurities are present around junctions, they can cause junction leakage. In order to avoid the junction leakage, metal impurities must be away from junction. It was reported that iron can be gettered in the region of dopants implanted at high energy [. On the other hand, little work has been reported on the behavior of metal impurities in shallow junction. In this study, the gettering behavior of various transition metals in low-energy and high-dose ion-implanted silicon has been demonstrated.

Abstract: The porous silicon layer was fabricated by electrochemical etching process using an aqueous HF-based electrolyte. The characterizations of porous silicon layer were investigated by Emission-type scanning electron microscope (SEM), Raman spectra and X-ray diffraction (XRD). With the current density increasing, the pore diameter and density become much bigger. This result also was confirmed by Raman spectra and XRD result of samples, which revealed the decreasing of grain size of silicon. The resistivity of crystalline silicon increased when the porous layer was removed after heat treatment at 850°C for 2.5h, which should be attributed to the gettering process of porous silicon.

Abstract: We report on a new method of external gettering in silicon substrate for semiconductor applications. The proposed method is based on the deposition of a multilayer system formed by introducing a number of thin buried silicon oxide layers into the thick polycrystalline silicon layer deposited on the wafer backside. Oxide films of a few nanometer thicknesses significantly retard both the grain growth and subsequent loss of the gettering capability of the polycrystalline silicon layer during high temperature annealing. The mechanisms of the grain growth and the influence of the embedded oxide layers on the gettering function in the multilayer system are discussed. We used scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy for the characterization of the multilayer system, and intentional contamination for demonstration of the gettering properties.

Abstract: The impact of slip dislocations on the interstitial iron distribution in as-grown CZ silicon wafers is investigated by calibrated MWPCD excess charge carrier lifetime measurements, DLTS measurements and measurements of the dislocation density. In regions of high dislocation density low interstitial iron content as well as low lifetime is observed. A linear correlation between dislocation density and interstitial iron content is found. We explain this linear correlation by the thesis that slip dislocations are 60° dislocations, which have adsorbed one iron atom at each dangling bond along the dislocation axis. Interstitial iron is gettered by slip dislocations but iron silicide, which forms along the dislocation axis, is a very strong recombination center for excess charge carriers as well. Hence, gettering of interstitial iron at slip dislocations does not increase the electrical quality of silicon.

Abstract: Hydrogen gettering by implantation-disturbed buried layers in oxygen-implanted silicon (Si:O, prepared by O2+ implantation at energy 200 keV and doses 1014 cm-2 and 1017 cm-2) was investigated after annealing of Si:O at up to 1570 K, also under enhanced hydrostatic pressure, up to 1.2 GPa. Depending on processing conditions, buried layers containing SiO2-x clusters and/or precipitates were formed. To produce Si:O,H, Si:O samples were subsequently treated in RF hydrogen plasma. As determined by Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry, hydrogen was accumulated at the sample surface and within implantation-disturbed areas. It was still present in Si:O,H (D=1017 cm–2) even after subsequent annealing at up to 873 K. Hydrogen accumulation within disturbed areas of Si:O as well as of SOI can be used for recognition of defects in such structures.

Abstract: In this paper, the influence of the gettering treatment on the distribution of diffusion length of minority charge carriers in multicrystalline silicon has been investigated. For the calculation of the parameters of diffusion length distribution, a new method has been proposed based on the mathematical treatment of experimentally measured integrated spectra of surface photovoltage measured by capacitor method (capacitor photovoltage). Obtained results show not only the increase of the average diffusion length as a result of used gettering procedure, but also the decrease of inhomogeneity of its distribution.

Abstract: We investigated the impact of using low quality feedstock such as recycled silicon and simplified pulling condition on the performance of CZ silicon solar cells. Groups of wafers carefully chosen from different ingots were analyzed after different solar cell process steps by minority carrier lifetime measurements, by measurements of the interstitial iron content and by measurements of the total impurity content using NAA. Our results show that the main electronic properties of the ingots, namely the carrier lifetime, interstitial iron content and base resistivity are strongly affected by feedstock quality. Surprisingly, high solar cell efficiencies were achieved using highly contaminated silicon. These positive results are due to the beneficial effect of impurity segregation gettering by phosphorous diffusion and aluminum alloying. Post-diffusion gettering by an additional annealing step was demonstrated to enhance the charge carrier lifetime.

Abstract: We have investigated the gettering efficiency at the interface of Si (110) and Si (100) directly bonded (DSB) substrates. DSB substrates were prepared by conventional bonding and grinding back methods. DSB substrates were intentionally contaminated with 3d transition metals (Fe, Ni, Cu) and then annealed at 1000 oC. The dependence of metal concentrations on the depth was evaluated by a secondary ionization mass spectrometer (SIMS). Furthermore, we observed the interface of DSB by transmission electron microscope (TEM), and characterized the form of the gettered metals.

Abstract: In this contribution an overview of hydrogenation issues for (multi-)crystalline silicon material is given. Crystalline silicon material for photovoltaic application contains more defects than material used for other semiconductor device fabrication. Therefore passivation of bulk defects has to be performed to reach higher efficiencies and exploit the cost reduction potential of these materials. Especially minority charge carrier lifetimes of ribbon silicon can be drastically improved by hydrogenation in combination with a gettering step. Apart from bulk passivation atomic hydrogen plays an important role in surface passivation via dielectric layers. Performance of single dielectric layers or stack systems can be increased after a hydrogenation step. It is believed that hydrogen can passivate defects at the silicon/dielectric interface allowing for lower surface recombination velocities. In industrial application hydrogenation is performed via deposition of a hydrogen-rich PECVD SiNx layer followed by a belt furnace annealing step. Surface passivation for characterization of charge carrier bulk lifetime is often performed with the same technique, omitting the annealing step to avoid in-diffusion of hydrogen. It is shown that for some crystalline silicon materials even the PECVD SiNx deposition alone (without annealing step) can cause significant bulk defect passivation, which in this case causes an unwanted change of bulk lifetime.

Abstract: Accumulation of hydrogen in Czochralski silicon implanted with N2+ (Si:N; N dose, DN=1–1.8x1018 cm-2; energy E=140 keV) or O2+ (Si:O; DO=1x1017 cm-2; E=200 keV), processed at up to 1400 K (HT) under enhanced Ar pressure, up to 1.2 GPa (HP), and followed by treatment in hydrogen (deuterium) plasma, was investigated by Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy. Implantation produces buried amorphous layer. As determined by transmission electron microscopy, subsequent HT-HP processing results in a formation of a specific sample microstructure. In plasma treated as-implanted Si:N, hydrogen accumulates at a depth of about 50 nm, up to concentration 2x1021 cm-3. This concentration is twice lower at a depth ≈ 80–250 nm. Deuterium content remains almost unchanged after plasma treatment of Si:N prepared by processing at 1270 K while it is strongly dependent on DN and on HP. In plasma treated Si:O, prepared by processing at 920-1230 K, hydrogen profile corresponds to that of implanted oxygen and decreases with HP. Comparative analysis of hydrogen accumulation and its subsequent release at 720-920 K in the Si:N and Si:O structures indicates that the capacity of buried layers in Si:O to getter and to preserve hydrogen is higher than that in Si:N.