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Articles you may be interested inA combined hard x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and electrical characterisation study of metal/SiO2/Si(100) metal-oxide-semiconductor structures Quantitative comparison between Auger electron spectroscopy and secondary ion mass spectroscopy depth profiles of a double layer structure of AlAs in GaAs using the mixing-roughness-information depth model A new graphical technique has been developed to characterize complex layered structures by angle resolved x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The technique enables estimation of layer composition, layer thickness, and depth of all the layers in a multilayer structure within a region up to several electron escape depths from the surface by measuring at two different escape angles with respect to the surface. These data are fit by the graphical technique to provide a layer depth profile. The technique requires making assumptions. The resulting limitations of the technique are discussed. We have tested the technique on a layer structure consisting of silicon, silicon dioxide, and platinum and have compared the results to a transmission electron microscope image. We also demonstrate this analysis technique for a GaAs/AlAs layer structure grown by molecular beam epitaxy.

Interface reinforcement brought about by addition of a γ-amino-propyl-triethoxy-silane (γ-APS) adhesion promoter layer between a silicon wafer and a spun-on benzocyclobutene polymer (BCB) is investigated. Combining cross-sectional TEM and XPS, crack growth is shown to occur along the γ-APS/BCB interface. Ion etching and in-situ XPS are further employed to study chain orientation and chemical bonding variations through the silane layer. A tendency of the amide group to orient away from the wafer is documented and Si-O-Si siloxane bonding at the γ- APS/SiO2 interface is hypothesized as an important mechanism for adhesion strength enhancement.

The adhesion of thin film polymers will be critical in the integration of low-κ materials into microelectronic processing. This study describes the adhesion of two promising low-κ polymers (polyimide and benzocyclobutene) to a silicon dioxide surface. Critical adhesion values were measured using interface fracture mechanics samples in a double cantilever beam geometry. The effect of subcritical (time-dependent) delamination was also evaluated for these systems. Subcritical debonding data are important in understanding the effect of environment and temperature on interface reliability. To that end, experiments were conducted over a range of humidities to elucidate the effect of moisture on interface delamination. The important effect of the acceleration of debond growth rates due to cyclic loading is also described. In addition, XPS studies are presented to characterize the debond path in these layered systems.