M. Carrada

Influence of average size and interface passivation on the spectral emission of Si nanocrystals embedded in SiO2

The correlation between the structural (average size and density) and optoelectronic properties [band gap and photoluminescence (PL)] of Si nanocrystals embedded in SiO2 is among the essential factors in understanding their emission mechanism. This correlation has been difficult to establish in the past due to the lack of reliable methods for measuring the size distribution of nanocrystals from electron microscopy, mainly because of the insufficient contrast between Si and SiO2. With this aim, we have recently developed a successful method for imaging Si nanocrystals in SiO2 matrices. This is done by using high-resolution electron microscopy in conjunction with conventional electron microscopy in dark field conditions. Then, by varying the time of annealing in a large time scale we have been able to track the nucleation, pure growth, and ripening stages of the nanocrystal population. The nucleation and pure growth stages are almost completed after a few minutes of annealing time at 1100 °C in N2 and after...

Manipulation of two-dimensional arrays of Si nanocrystals embedded in thin SiO2 layers by low energy ion implantation

In silicon nanocrystal based metal–oxide–semiconductor memory structures, tuning of the electron tunneling distance between the Si substrate and Si nanocrystals located in the gate oxide is a crucial requirement for the pinpointing of optimal device architectures. In this work it is demonstrated that this tuning of the “injection distance” can be achieved by varying the Si+ ion energy or the oxide thickness during the fabrication of Si nanocrystals by ultralow-energy silicon implantation. Using an accurate cross-section transmission electron microscopy (XTEM) method, it is demonstrated that two-dimensional arrays of Si nanocrystals cannot be positioned closer than 5 nm to the channel by increasing the implantation energy. It is shown that injection distances down to much smaller values (2 nm) can be achieved only by decreasing the nominal thickness of the gate oxide. Depth profiles of excess silicon measured by time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy and Si nanocrystal locations determined by XTEM ...

Elucidation of the surface passivation role on the photoluminescence emission yield of silicon nanocrystals embedded in SiO2

The ability of surface passivation to enhance the photoluminescence (PL) emission of Si nanocrystals in SiO2 has been investigated. No significant increase of the average nanocrystal size has been detected for annealings at 1100 °C between 1 min and 16 h. In contrast, the PL intensity steadily increases and reaches saturation after 3–4 h of annealing time. Such behavior shows an inverse correlation with the amount of Si dangling bonds (Pb centers) at the interface between Si nanocrystals and the SiO2 matrix. A postannealing at 450 °C in forming gas enhances the PL intensity and lifetime, due to a reduction in Pb concentration, without modifying the spectral shape of the PL emission.

Absorption cross section and signal enhancement in Er-doped Si nanocluster rib-loaded waveguides

Pump and probe experiments on Er3+ ions coupled to Si nanoclusters have been performed in rib-loaded waveguides to investigate optical amplification at 1.5μm. Rib-loaded waveguides were obtained by photolithographic and reactive ion etching of Er-doped silica layers containing Si nanoclusters grown by reactive sputtering. Insertion losses measurements in the infrared erbium absorption region allowed to gauge an Er3+ absorption cross section of about 5×10−21cm2 at 1534nm. Signal transmission under optical pumping at 1310nm shows confined carrier absorption of the Si nanoclusters. Amplification experiments at 1535nm evidence two pump power regimes: Losses due to confined carrier absorption in the Si nanoclusters at low pump powers and signal enhancement at high pump powers. For strong optical pumping, signal enhancement of about 1.2dB∕cm was obtained.

White luminescence from Si+ and C+ ion-implanted SiO2 films

The microstructural and optical analysis of SiO2 layers emitting white luminescence is reported. These structures have been synthesized by sequential Si+ and C+ ion implantation and high-temperature annealing. Their white emission results from the presence of up to three bands in the photoluminescence (PL) spectra, covering the whole visible spectral range. The microstructural characterization reveals the presence of a complex multilayer structure: Si nanocrystals are only observed outside the main C-implanted peak region, with a lower density closer to the surface, being also smaller in size. This lack of uniformity in their density has been related to the inhibiting role of C in their growth dynamics. These nanocrystals are responsible for the band appearing in the red region of the PL spectrum. The analysis of the thermal evolution of the red PL band and its behavior after hydrogenation shows that carbon implantation also prevents the formation of well passivated Si/SiO2 interfaces. On the other hand, ...

Kinetic study of group IV nanoparticles ion beam synthesized in SiO2

Abstract Most studies concerning group IV (Si, Ge) ion beam synthesized nanocrystals in SiO 2 have shown that a link exists between the observed physical properties and the characteristics of the “populations” of nanoparticles (size-distribution, density, volume fraction). The aim of this paper is to study the influence of the initial supersaturation and annealing conditions on these characteristics. For this, experimental methods have been developed, that allow accurate statistical studies. Different transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging conditions have been tested and the most adequate ones have been identified for each system. An original method for the measurement of the density of precipitates embedded in an amorphous matrix has been developed and tested for Ge precipitates in SiO 2 and has permitted to evidence a conservative Ostwald ripening during annealing. The kinetic behavior of Si nanoparticles has also been studied by coupling TEM measurements and “atomistic” simulations. During annealing, the growth of these nanoparticles is very slow but their size significantly increases when increasing the initial Si excess. Simulations are in perfect agreement with experiment when taking into account interaction effects between particles.

Transmission electron microscopy measurements of the injection distances in nanocrystal-based memories

The characteristics of nonvolatile memories making use of Si nanocrystals as charge storage elements buried in the gate oxide of regular metal–oxide–semiconductor transistors strongly depend on the distances between the nanocrystals and two electrodes, the channel and the gate. In this letter, we compare two transmission electron microscopy methods that can be used to extract such distances. We demonstrate by using image simulations that conventional electron microscopy under out-of-Bragg and strongly underfocused conditions is the fastest and most efficient technique to be used for routine measurements at a subnanometer resolution. Finally, we show that the injection oxide thickness of nanocrystal devices obtained by low-energy Si implantation into thin SiO2 layers and subsequent annealing can be precisely tuned from 8 to 5 nm by adjusting the implantation energy from 0.65 to 2 keV.

Detection and characterization of silicon nanocrystals embedded in thin oxide layers

Silicon nanocrystals embedded in a thin oxide layer can be used as charge storage elements in nonvolatile memory devices. The structural characteristics of the nanocrystals and their position in the oxide determine the electrical properties of the devices. In this work, silicon nanocrystals have been formed by ultralow-energy implantation (0.65–2.0 keV) of silicon in a 10 nm thin thermally grown SiO2 film on Si (100) followed by a thermal treatment. A time of flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) methodology has been developed to detect the presence of silicon nanocrystals and to characterize them. The methodology allows one to obtain relevant information, such as the bandwidth and tunneling distance of Si nanocrystals. Chemical information about the presence of impurities introduced into the SiO2 layer during implantation and annealing have also been obtained. The advantages and disadvantages of this technique, based on TOF-SIMS in comparison with transmission electron microscopy, are discuss...

Properties of silicon nanoparticles embedded in SiNx deposited by microwave-PECVD

In this work, silicon-rich silicon nitride (SRN) layers were deposited on a silicon wafer by microwave-assisted plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (MW-PECVD) using NH(3) and SiH(4) as precursor gases. The Si excess in the as-deposited layers as determined by the Rutherford backscattering technique was controlled by varying the precursor gas ratio. We were able to produce silicon nanoparticles (Si-nps) in the silicon nitride (SiN(x)) layers upon thermal annealing at high temperature. Energy-filtered TEM (EFTEM), complemented by photoluminescence measurements, were used to identify the experimental parameters in order to reach a high density of well-separated Si-nps (3 nm). Our results show that the MW-PECVD method is a suitable deposition tool for the formation of Si-nps in thin SRN layers.

Effect of annealing treatments on photoluminescence and charge storage mechanism in silicon-rich SiNx:H films

In this study, a wide range of a-SiNx:H films with an excess of silicon (20 to 50%) were prepared with an electron-cyclotron resonance plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition system under the flows of NH3 and SiH4. The silicon-rich a-SiNx:H films (SRSN) were sandwiched between a bottom thermal SiO2 and a top Si3N4 layer, and subsequently annealed within the temperature range of 500-1100°C in N2 to study the effect of annealing temperature on light-emitting and charge storage properties. A strong visible photoluminescence (PL) at room temperature has been observed for the as-deposited SRSN films as well as for films annealed up to 1100°C. The possible origins of the PL are briefly discussed. The authors have succeeded in the formation of amorphous Si quantum dots with an average size of about 3 to 3.6 nm by varying excess amount of Si and annealing temperature. Electrical properties have been investigated on Al/Si3N4/SRSN/SiO2/Si structures by capacitance-voltage and conductance-voltage analysis techniques. A significant memory window of 4.45 V was obtained at a low operating voltage of ± 8 V for the sample containing 25% excess silicon and annealed at 1000°C, indicating its utility in low-power memory devices.