The effect of ultrathin oxides on luminescent silicon nanocrystallites

The process of crystalline silicon phase formation in tin-doped amorphous silicon (a-SiSn) films has been studied. The inclusions of metallic tin are shown to play a key role in the crystallization of researched a-SiSn specimens with Sn contents of 1–10 at% at temperatures of 300–500 ∘C. The crystallization process can conditionally be divided into two stages. At the first stage, the formation of metallic tin inclusions occurs in the bulk of as-precipitated films owing to the diffusion of tin atoms in the amorphous silicon matrix. At the second stage, the formation of the nanocrystalline phase of silicon occurs as a result of the motion of silicon atoms from the amorphous phase to the crystalline one through the formed metallic tin inclusions. The presence of the latter ensures the formation of silicon crystallites at a much lower temperature than the solid-phase recrystallization temperature (about 750 ∘C). A possibility for a relation to exist between the sizes of growing silicon nanocrystallites and metallic tin inclusions favoring the formation of nanocrystallites has been analyzed.

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Observation of Direct Transitions in Silicon Nanocrystallites

Japanese Journal of Applied Physics ◽

10.1143/jjap.33.l899 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 33 (Part 2, No. 7A) ◽

pp. L899-L901 ◽

Cited By ~ 26

Author(s):

Xinwei Zhao ◽

Olaf Schoenfeld ◽

Jun-ichi Kusano ◽

Yoshinobu Aoyagi ◽

Takuo Sugano

Keyword(s):

Silicon Nanocrystallites

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Silicon nanocrystallites in buried SiOx layers via direct wafer bonding

Applied Physics Letters ◽

10.1063/1.124467 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 75 (5) ◽

pp. 641-643 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

U. Kahler ◽

H. Hofmeister

Keyword(s):

Wafer Bonding ◽

Direct Wafer Bonding ◽

Silicon Nanocrystallites

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Photoluminescence and photocurrent of Schottky diodes based on silicon nanocrystallites

physica status solidi (c) ◽

10.1002/pssc.200460758 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 2 (8) ◽

pp. 3019-3022 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

A. Vivas Hernandez ◽

T. V. Torchynska ◽

G. Polupan ◽

S. Jimenez Sandoval ◽

R. Pena Sierra ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Schottky Diodes ◽

Silicon Nanocrystallites

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Ultrathin Gate Dielectric Growth at Reduced Pressure

MRS Proceedings ◽

10.1557/proc-342-209 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 342 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Robert McIntosh ◽

Carl Galewski ◽

John Grant

Keyword(s):

Gate Dielectric ◽

Charge Trapping ◽

Cmos Technology ◽

Interface State ◽

Constant Current ◽

Reduced Pressure ◽

Current Stress ◽

Ultrathin Oxides ◽

State Generation ◽

Improved Characteristics

The Growth of ultrathin oxides in N2O ambient has been a subject of extensive research for submicron CMOS technology. Oxides grown in N2O tend to have a higher charge-to-breakdown, less charge trapping under constant current stress, and less interface state generation under current stress and radiation than conventional oxides grown in oxygen [1,2]. In addition the penetration of boron through N2O oxides is significantly less than through conventional thermal oxides [3]. The improved characteristics of N2O are due to an interfacial pileup of nitrogen atoms [1-3]. Thus the growth of thermal oxides in N2O provides a method for obtaining many of the more favorable aspects of reoxidized-nitrided silicon dioxides, with a much simpler process.

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Interplay Between Silicon Nanocrystal Size and Local Environment Within Porous Silicon on the Analyte-Dependent Photoluminescence Response

Applied Spectroscopy ◽

10.1177/0003702819864606 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 73 (10) ◽

pp. 1218-1227

Author(s):

Samantha Matthews ◽

Frank V. Bright

Keyword(s):

Porous Silicon ◽

Chemical Sensor ◽

Local Environment ◽

Sensor Response ◽

Size Distributions ◽

Sensor Development ◽

Nanocrystallite Size ◽

Relative Standard ◽

Silicon Nanocrystallites ◽

Photoluminescence Response

Porous silicon (pSi) exhibits strong photoluminescence (PL) and its PL is often exploited for chemical sensor development. However, the sensor response is not uniform across a pSi specimen. We use co-localized confocal PL and Raman scattering mapping to establish a relationship between the analyte-induced PL response and the silicon nanocrystallite size, size distribution, and amorphous silicon (aSi) contribution across a pSi specimen. Using toluene as a model analyte, high analyte-induced PL response is associated with areas within the specimen that have (i) low aSi content, (ii) silicon nanocrystallites having diameters between 2 and 5 nm, and (iii) silicon nanocrystallites that exhibit a narrow size distributions (≤1% relative standard deviation).

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