The structural change and defect generation in Si by plasma exposure were investigated by spectroscopic ellipsometry and photoreflectance spectroscopy. For an Ar-DC plasma exposure with 300V bias, the spectroscopic ellipsometry with an optimized model identified a 1nm-thick interfacial layer between the surface layer and the substrate. The photoreflectance spectroscopy indicated the mechanical strain change by approximately 0.1%. The photoreflectance spectroscopy was applied to an estimation of plasma-induced carrier trap site density on the basis of a model correlating surface potential to the density. Combined with plasma diagnostics, the defect generation probability was estimated for the present condition.

Estimation of Defect Generation Probability in Thin Si Surface Damaged Layer During Plasma Processing. K.Eriguchi, A.Ohno, D.Hamada, M.Kamei, K.Ono: Thin Solid Films, 2008, 516[19], 6604-8