Effects of high-temperature treatment on the hydrogen distribution in silicon oxynitride/silicon nitride stacks for crystalline silicon surface passivation
Effects of high-temperature treatment on the hydrogen distribution in silicon oxynitride/silicon nitride stacks for crystalline silicon surface passivation
Schwab, C.; Hofmann, M.; Heller, R.; Seiffe, J.; Rentsch, J.; Preu, R.
This work investigates a double layer stack system that can be used for surface passivation of crystalline silicon. The stack consists of amorphous silicon-rich silicon oxynitride and amorphous silicon nitride on top. Both layers are fabricated by means of plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition. We investigate the stack in terms of changes in the hydrogen content and distribution within the different stack layers due to a high temperature treatment. For that purpose the stack is studied by Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy and nuclear reaction analysis before and after fast firing at 850 degrees C. Our results determine the bottom silicon oxynitride layer as very hydrogen-rich.
Furthermore, we identify the silicon nitride capping layer as diffusion barrier to atomic hydrogen but still allowing an effusion of molecular hydrogen. We present a qualitative model that explains our findings and distinguishes between atomic and molecular hydrogen.
Keywords: Nuclear reaction analysis; Hydrogen depth profiling; silicon oxynitride; surface passivation
Involved research facilities
- Ion Beam Center DOI: 10.17815/jlsrf-3-159
Related publications
- DOI: 10.17815/jlsrf-3-159 is cited by this (Id 20373) publication
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Physica Status Solidi (A) 210(2013), 2399-2403
Online First (2013) DOI: 10.1002/pssa.201329308
ISSN: 1862-6300
Cited 9 times in Scopus
Permalink: https://www.hzdr.de/publications/Publ-20373