Spinodal decomposition versus nucleation and growth mechanism of phase separation in nonstoichiometric silicon oxide films during high temperature annealing

Percolation threshold in annealed ultrathin SiOx films by 2D Monte Carlo simulations

“…Such shapes are also in agreement with the spinodal decomposition mechanism defining the process kinetics. 29 Analysis of the evolution of the composition of the Si oxide matrix (see Fig. 3(a), (c) and (e)) demonstrates that oxygen redistribution at the initial annealing stages takes place mainly from the Si-OSi 3 and between the Si-O 2 Si 2 complexes, which have the largest penalty energy values (0.5 and 0.51 eV, respectively).…”

“…Such shapes are also in agreement with the spinodal decomposition mechanism defining the process kinetics. 29…”

Thermodynamic Theory of Phase Separation in Nonstoichiometric Si Oxide Films Induced by High-Temperature Anneals

“…as a function of the initial Si oxide composition and annealing conditions. Its different components have already been successfully applied to reveal the kinetic mechanisms of phase separation [44]; understand the annealing-induced transformations in Si oxide, oxynitride and nitride-based superlattices with nanometer thick layers [45][46][47][48][49]; and describe the structural properties of Si oxynitrides grown at different temperatures [50], as depicted in the right-hand side of the diagram presented in Figure 1. All the theoretical models composing the unified thermodynamic theory are reviewed below, followed by a general discussion of the phase separation process in SiO x films, in the Discussion section.…”

Crystallization Behavior of Amorphous Si Nanoinclusions Embedded in Silicon Oxide Matrix

“…Crystalline state of the Si nanoinclusions in the nano‐Si/Si oxide composites formed by phase separation of nonstoichiometric Si oxide films has a strong dependence on the temperature of the thermal processing of films. Separation of SiO x phase is driven by the decrease in the Gibbs free energy and is realized by oxygen redistribution from the oxygen‐deficient to the oxygen‐enriched regions mainly according to spinodal decomposition mechanism . This process is hindered by internal stress appearing during phase separation, which decreases with annealing temperature .…”

“…Separation of SiO x phase is driven by the decrease in the Gibbs free energy [24] and is realized by oxygen redistribution from the oxygen-deficient to the oxygen-enriched regions mainly according to spinodal decomposition mechanism. [25,26] This process is hindered by internal stress appearing during phase separation, which decreases with annealing temperature. [27] As a result, the amount of separated Si and, hence, the average size of the formed Si nanoparticles are dependent on the annealing temperature increasing with its increase up to about 1000 C when complete decomposition of the SiO x phase with the separation of the maximum amount of excess Si occurs.…”