Electronic properties of MOS capacitor exposed to inductively coupled hydrogen plasma

• Published in: Thin solid films Vol. 345; no. 1; pp. 172 - 177
• Main Authors: Ikeda, A., Sadou, T., Nagashima, H., Kouno, K., Yoshikawa, N., Tshukamoto, K., Kuroki, Y.
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Lausanne Elsevier B.V 07.05.1999; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Electron trap centers; Electronics; Exact sciences and technology; Hydrogen plasma cleaning; Inductively coupled plasma; Microelectronic fabrication (materials and surfaces technology); Semiconductor electronics. Microelectronics. Optoelectronics. Solid state devices; X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy; Electron trap centers; Inductively coupled plasma; Hydrogen plasma cleaning; X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy; Surface cleaning; Interface state; Plasma; Binary compound; Density of states; Electronic properties; Hydrogen; Charge carrier trapping; Microelectronic fabrication; Silicon Oxides; Photoelectron spectrometry; Silicon; Inductive coupling; MOS capacity
• ISSN: 0040-6090; 1879-2731
• DOI: 10.1016/S0040-6090(99)00062-0

Hydrogen plasma is interested for nano-structure cleaning on semiconductor surface at room temperature. We studied the electronic properties of MOS capacitor exposed to hydrogen plasma excited in an Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) source. Since ICP can generate plasma with a loop antenna put the outside of a quartz chamber, it does not induce heavy metal contamination. By electrical characterization of MOS capacitor, hydrogen related neutral electron traps were induced into SiO 2 by the hydrogen plasma exposure. With increasing incident ion energy, much more neutral electron traps were induced. XPS chemical analysis suggested that Si–H bonds were formed in SiO 2 with exposure to the hydrogen plasma. It is speculated that under high field stressing to the SiO 2, hydrogenated Si bonds were broken by electron impact and electrons were trapped to the broken bonds in SiO 2. With increasing gas pressure during the hydrogen plasma exposure, electrical degradation of the SiO 2 could be reduced.