Percolated Si:SiO2 Nanocomposites: Oven- vs. Millisecond Laser-Induced Crystallization of SiOx Thin Films

Three-dimensional nanocomposite networks consisting of percolated Si nanowires in a SiO2 matrix, Si:SiO2, were studied. The structures were obtained by reactive ion beam sputter deposition of SiOx (x ≈ 0.6) thin films at 450 ∘C and subsequent crystallization using conventional oven, as well as millisecond line focus laser treatment. Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, cross-sectional and energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy were applied for sample characterization. While oven treatment resulted in a mean Si wire diameter of 10 nm and a crystallinity of 72% within the Si volume, almost single-domain Si structures of 30 nm in diameter and almost free of amorphous Si were obtained by millisecond laser application. The structural differences are attributed to the different crystallization processes: conventional oven tempering proceeds via solid state and millisecond laser application via liquid phase crystallization of Si. The five orders of magnitude larger diffusion constant in the liquid phase is responsible for the three-times larger Si nanostructure diameter. In conclusion, laser treatment offers not only significantly shorter process times, but moreover, a superior structural order of nano-Si compared to conventional heating.

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Percolated Si:SiO2 Nanocomposites: Oven- vs.Millisecond Laser-induced Crystallization of SiOx Thin Films

10.20944/preprints201806.0022.v1 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Erik Schumann ◽

René Hübner ◽

Jörg Grenzer ◽

Sibylle Gemming ◽

Matthias Krause

Keyword(s):

Thin Films ◽

Liquid Phase ◽

Laser Annealing ◽

Ion Beam ◽

Diffusion Constant ◽

Conventional Heating ◽

Laser Application ◽

Focus Laser ◽

Millisecond Laser ◽

Conventional Oven

Three-dimensional nanocomposite networks consisting of percolated Si nanowires in a SiO2 matrix, Si:SiO2, were studied. The structures were obtained by reactive ion beam sputter deposition of SiOx (x ≈ 0.6) thin films at 450 °C and subsequent crystallization using conventional oven as well as millisecond line focus laser annealing. Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, cross-sectional and energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy were applied for sample characterization. While oven annealing resulted in a mean Si wire diameter of 10 nm and a crystallinity of 72 % within the Si volume, almost single-domain Si structures with 30 nm in diameter and almost free of amorphous Si were obtained by millisecond laser application. The structural differences are attributed to the different crystallization processes: Conventional oven tempering proceeds via solid state, millisecond laser application via liquid phase crystallization of Si. The 5 orders of magnitude larger diffusion constant in the liquid phase is responsible for the three times larger Si nanostructure diameter. In conclusion, laser annealing offers not only significantly shorter process times but moreover a superior structural order of nano-Si compared to conventional heating.

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Improvement of the Long-Term Reliability of Interconnection by Controlling the Crystallinity of Grain Boundaries

Volume 2: Advanced Electronics and Photonics, Packaging Materials and Processing; Advanced Electronics and Photonics: Packaging, Interconnect and Reliability; Fundamentals of Thermal and Fluid Transport in Nano, Micro, and Mini Scales ◽

10.1115/ipack2015-48200 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

Takahiro Nakanishi ◽

Ken Suzuki ◽

Hideo Miura

Keyword(s):

Thin Films ◽

Grain Boundary ◽

Grain Boundaries ◽

Ion Beam ◽

Diffusion Constant ◽

Diffraction Method ◽

Electron Back Scatter Diffraction ◽

Test Method ◽

Electroplated Copper

Electroplated copper thin films have started to be employed as the interconnection material in TSV structures of 3D semiconductor modules because of its low electric resistivity and high thermal conductivity. However, electrical and mechanical properties of electroplated copper thin-films have been found to vary drastically depending on their microtexture. In particular, the crystallographic quality (crystallinity) of grain boundaries in the electroplated copper thin-films plays an important role on the variations of these properties and the long-term reliability of the interconnections. This is because grain boundaries are the area where the atomic alignment of mateerials is disordered and thus, various defects such as vacancies, dislocations, impurities, and strain easily concentrate around them. This disorder of the atomic alignment causes the increase in the electrical resistivity, diffusion constant along the grain boundaries, and the brittleness of the material. Therefore, it is very important to evaluate the characteristics of a grain boundary quantitatively in order to control and assure the properties of the electroplated copper thin films. In this study, a novel tensile test method that can measure the strength of a grain boundary has been developed by using a focused ion beam system. In order to investigate the effect of the crystallinity of grain boundaries on their strength, an electron back-scatter diffraction method (EBSD) was employed for the quantitative characterization of grain boundaries. It was confirmed that the strength of grain boundaries with low crystallinity was much lower than that with high crystallinity.

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Nucleation and Early Growth of Sputtered thin Films

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100069570 ◽

1970 ◽

Vol 28 ◽

pp. 516-517

Author(s):

Dudley M. Sherman ◽

Thos. E. Hutchinson

Keyword(s):

Thin Films ◽

Electron Beam ◽

Ion Beam ◽

Ion Source ◽

Water Cooling ◽

Stages Of Growth ◽

Lens Assembly ◽

Microscope Technique ◽

Ion Beam Sputter Deposition

The in situ electron microscope technique has been shown to be a powerful method for investigating the nucleation and growth of thin films formed by vacuum vapor deposition. The nucleation and early stages of growth of metal deposits formed by ion beam sputter-deposition are now being studied by the in situ technique.A duoplasmatron ion source and lens assembly has been attached to one side of the universal chamber of an RCA EMU-4 microscope and a sputtering target inserted into the chamber from the opposite side. The material to be deposited, in disc form, is bonded to the end of an electrically isolated copper rod that has provisions for target water cooling. The ion beam is normal to the microscope electron beam and the target is placed adjacent to the electron beam above the specimen hot stage, as shown in Figure 1.

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Electron energy loss spectroscopy of diamond-like carbon thin films

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100130997 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 50 (2) ◽

pp. 1272-1273

Author(s):

J. Kulik ◽

Y. Lifshitz ◽

G.D. Lempert ◽

S. Rotter ◽

J.W. Rabalais ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thin Films ◽

Energy Loss ◽

Electron Energy ◽

Ion Beam ◽

Diamond Like Carbon ◽

Ion Beam Deposition ◽

Chemistry Research ◽

Carbon Thin Films ◽

Electron Energy Loss ◽

Beam Deposition

Carbon thin films with diamond-like properties have generated significant interest in condensed matter science in recent years. Their extreme hardness combined with insulating electronic characteristics and high thermal conductivity make them attractive for a variety of uses including abrasion resistant coatings and applications in electronic devices. Understanding the growth and structure of such films is therefore of technological interest as well as a goal of basic physics and chemistry research. Recent investigations have demonstrated the usefulness of energetic ion beam deposition in the preparation of such films. We have begun an electron microscopy investigation into the microstructure and electron energy loss spectra of diamond like carbon thin films prepared by energetic ion beam deposition.The carbon films were deposited using the MEIRA ion beam facility at the Soreq Nuclear Research Center in Yavne, Israel. Mass selected C+ beams in the range 50 to 300 eV were directed onto Si {100} which had been etched with HF prior to deposition.

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Ion Beam Mixing of Ni-Ti Bilayered Thin Films

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100118345 ◽

1985 ◽

Vol 43 ◽

pp. 290-291

Author(s):

A. K. Rai ◽

R. S. Bhattacharya ◽

M. H. Rashid

Keyword(s):

Crystal Structure ◽

Thin Films ◽

Amorphous Alloys ◽

Ion Beam ◽

Ion Bombardment ◽

High Energy ◽

Mixing Efficiency ◽

Ion Beam Mixing ◽

Enhanced Diffusion ◽

Binary Metal

Ion beam mixing has recently been found to be an effective method of producing amorphous alloys in the binary metal systems where the two original constituent metals are of different crystal structure. The mechanism of ion beam mixing are not well understood yet. Several mechanisms have been proposed to account for the observed mixing phenomena. The first mechanism is enhanced diffusion due to defects created by the incoming ions. Second is the cascade mixing mechanism for which the kinematicel collisional models exist in the literature. Third mechanism is thermal spikes. In the present work we have studied the mixing efficiency and ion beam induced amorphisation of Ni-Ti system under high energy ion bombardment and the results are compared with collisional models. We have employed plan and x-sectional veiw TEM and RBS techniques in the present work.

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Ion Beam Sputter Deposition Of Ferroelectric Oxide Thin Films

MRS Proceedings ◽

10.1557/proc-223-273 ◽

1991 ◽

Vol 223 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Thomas M. Graettinger ◽

O. Auciello ◽

M. S. Ameen ◽

H. N. Al-Shareef ◽

K. Gifford ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Thin Films ◽

Lead Zirconate Titanate ◽

Growth Parameters ◽

Ion Beam ◽

Lead Zirconate ◽

Electro Optic ◽

Integrated Optical ◽

Pzt Films ◽

Ion Beam Sputter Deposition ◽

Ferroelectric Oxide

ABSTRACTFerroelectric oxide films have been studied for their potential application as integrated optical materials and nonvolatile memories. Electro-optic properties of potassium niobate (KNbO3) thin films have been measured and the results correlated to the microstructures observed. The growth parameters necessary to obtain single phase perovskite lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin films are discussed. Hysteresis and fatigue measurements of the PZT films were performed to determine their characteristics for potential memory devices.

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