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SIMS study of the SiO 2 /Si interface and of the Si+O 2 system
Author(s) -
Degreve F.,
Ged Ph.
Publication year - 1983
Publication title -
surface and interface analysis
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.52
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 1096-9918
pISSN - 0142-2421
DOI - 10.1002/sia.740050206
Subject(s) - sputtering , silicon , ion , argon , analytical chemistry (journal) , polyatomic ion , yield (engineering) , substrate (aquarium) , oxide , ionization , oxygen , intensity (physics) , silicon oxide , chemistry , atomic physics , materials science , thin film , optics , optoelectronics , nanotechnology , silicon nitride , oceanography , physics , organic chemistry , chromatography , geology , metallurgy
Depth profiles of mono and polyatomic ions (Si + , SiO + , Si 2 + , Si ++ ) have been determined by SIMS under Ar + ion bombardment on 100 Å to 700 Å thick thermal SiO 2 layers. The main experimental results are: (1) The best depth resolution is obtained with Si + (49 ± 6 Å); (2) The ion intensity profiles plotted against the sputtering time are systematically shifted from one species to another; (3) The sputtering time needed to obtain a 50% signal variation in the interface region varies linearly with the oxide thickness for all the above species; (4) The slope of the corresponding straight lines are identical but the intercepts differ from 1 ± 6 Å for Si 2 +up to 36 ± 6 Å for SiO + . Furthermore, similar intensity shifts are seen for the above ions when a silicon substrate is argon bombarded under various oxygen pressure conditions. The experimental data shows that the shifts of the secondary ion profiles and the non zero intercepts are not necessarily due to cascade mixing and may involve sputter yield or ionization probability variations in the interfacial region.