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Ultrathin oxide gate dielectrics prepared by low temperature remote plasma-assisted oxidation

1998; Elsevier BV; Volume: 98; Issue: 1-3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1016/s0257-8972(97)00389-7

1879-3347

H. Niimi, G. Lucovsky,

Metal and Thin Film Mechanics

Monolayer N-atom incorporation at Si−SiO2 interfaces in device-quality SiO2 gate oxides has been accomplished by a three-step low-thermal budget process: (i) 300°C remote plasma-assisted oxidation in N2O to form the nitrided Si−SiO2 interface, (ii) 300°C remote plasma-assisted chemical vapor deposition from SiH4 and O2 or N2O to form the oxide layer, and (iii) a 30 s 900°C post-deposition rapid thermal anneal for chemical and structural relaxation. This paper reports on an extension of lowtemperature plasma processing to ultra-thin gate dielectrics (<3 nm) that is based on the first of the three steps identified above: the 300°C remote plasma-assisted oxidation in O2 or N2O. This paper: (i) highlights interrupted processing Auger electron spectroscopy measurements to monitor (a) growth rate and (b) interfacial nitrogen; (ii) discusses the reactions pathways for the plasma-assisted oxide growth process; (iii) contrasts (a) plasma-assisted and (b) furnace and rapid thermal oxidation processes.