Structure and Sodium Migration in Silicon Nitride Films

Dalton, J.; Drobek, J.

doi:10.1149/1.2411450

Cited by 73 publications

(35 citation statements)

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“…This should be regarded as a state-of-the-art result developed by unconventional alkaline addition, as a conventional NaOH alkaline addition brings very unstable device behavior. 44 According to other respective PECCS plots and photo-transfer curves of Fig. 6a and 6b, the BTS-imposed IGZO TFT with SiO 2 /Na-containing Ni/Cu gate shows significant photo-shift of V th , along with several intense trap DOS peaks, some of which are located at the same energy levels as those found in the IGZO TFT with H-containing SiN x layer (see Fig.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 61%

Advanced Cu Interconnection via Electroless-Plated Ni Interlayer on the Gate of Oxide Thin-Film Transistors

Nam

Moon²,

Lee³

et al. 2014

ECS J. Solid State Sci. Technol.

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We demonstrate Cu interconnection/electrode formation in bottom gate InGaZnO (IGZO) thin-film transistors (TFTs), so that conductivity may be enhanced and a more advanced display panel may replace conventional Al and Mo. To date, the development of a Cu interconnection/electrode has been hampered by the poor adhesion between Cu and SiO 2 , the main gate insulator (GI) for IGZO TFTs. However, our research shows that an electro-less selective plating of Na-free Ni on pre-patterned Cu electrodes can make this goal obtainable. According to the bias-and photo-stability measurements, our IGZO TFT with Na-free Ni-plated Cu electrodes are much more stable than IGZO TFTs prepared with conventional methods such as NaOH-induced Ni plating on Cu and H-containing SiN x /SiO 2 double layer GI on Cu. Moreover, the conventionally-prepared devices were also photo-sensitive due to the Na or H ions diffused into the GI/channel interface area. We conclude that electro-less plating of Na-free Ni on Cu is a promising approach for advanced future display panel by oxide TFTs.Until recently, amorphous (a)-Si based thin-film transistor (TFT) has led the liquid crystal display (LCD) industry due to its superior uniformity at large scale. However, the more developed display industry is now demanding higher performance and resolution than available in general a-Si TFTs. High-performance TFT-LCD and active matrix organic light-emitting diodes (AMOLEDs) are now being fabricated with low-temperature poly-Si (LTPS) TFT technology, which has limitations in large-scale displays in addition to process complexity and cost. As an alternative to such Si-based TFTs, amorphous oxide semiconductor TFTs have recently attracted much attention due to their mobility, operational stability, and simple fabrication process.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 61%

Advanced Cu Interconnection via Electroless-Plated Ni Interlayer on the Gate of Oxide Thin-Film Transistors

Nam

Moon²,

Lee³

et al. 2014

ECS J. Solid State Sci. Technol.

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“…Using a modified Sirtl etch, a correlation between mounds and dislocations has been reported recently (3). However, the effectiveness of the etch is hindered due to the formation of numerous mounds of various sizes which do not appear to be related to dislocations.…”

Section: Dow Coming Corporation Solid State Research and Developmentmentioning

confidence: 98%

A High Production System for the Deposition of Silicon Nitride

Wohlheiter¹,

Whitner²

1972

J. Electrochem. Soc.

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Amorphous silicon nitride is well known as a barrier to the penetration of alkali metal contaminants into junctions of semiconductor devices and as a gate dielectric for MIS devices. This paper discusses the operating characteristics of a production system for the deposition of silicon nitride by the ammonolysis of silicon tetrachloride in a hot wall furnace, and the characteristics of the resulting films.The protective film (1700-2500A) for bipolar devices can be deposited at a rate of 120 wafers/hr. For MIS work, where film thickness directly affects device threshold voltage, better uniformity can be achieved by modifying the wafer placement and operating procedures. The nitride films are amorphous with an index of refraction of approximately 1.95; the surface-state density is in the order of 1012; and the etch rate in buffered hydrofluoric acid 1 is 11 _ 2 A/min. This paper describes the design of a production system for the deposition of silicon nitride and some of the characteristics of the films produced.Amorphous silicon nitride was introduced into the manufacture of beam lead chips to act as a contamination barrier, as has been reported in the literature (1). The system was designed to meet the following specifications for the barrier film: thickness, 1750-2500A; etch rate, 11 __+ 3 A/rain in buffered HF at 23~ sodium penetration (2), 92% removed after etching 50A. The etch rate has been specified to fall within a normally achievable range that will allow the silicon nitride to pass the sodium penetration test; i.e., when the etch rate in buffered hydrofluoric acid increases, the probability of sodium penetration increases (3). The etch rate is directly related to the amount of oxygen in the silicon nitride; and because the presence of oxygen weakens the nitride barrier to alkaline contaminants, the etch test is sufficient to provide some indication as to the quality of silicon nitride. The actual testing procedure for sodium penetration will be discussed later.Initially, silicon nitride was deposited in either a carousel or a barrel-type epitaxial reactor. However, the need for large production numbers (greater than 50 wafers/hr) suggested that an alternate system be developed due to the high cost of reactors and the relatively long cycle time. It was decided to develop a system using a standard diffusion furnace to deposit silicon nitride. Table I compares the reactor statistics with the goals of the proposed furnace system. Table I Reactor Furnace Cost (installed) $50K (min) $18K Turn-around time 60 min 25 rain Capacity/run 25 wafers 50 wafersThese figures are based on data when the study began four years ago. A capacity ratio of 3:1 (furnace wafers to reactor wafers) and a cost ratio of 1:8 for the furnace system have been obtained.In the initial furnace operation, the effort was directed toward producing a satisfactory nitride film. This was done using a streamlined quartz boat with the wafers lying flat. Several conclusions were drawn from this work: (i) the gases must be absolutely dry Key words: t...

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“…14,15,16 Other investigators made incremental reliability improvements over the next few years, with the most fundamental advance coming from J. V. Dalton at Bell Labs in 1966. 17 He showed that an overcoating of silicon nitride would provide an effective seal against alkali ions, mainly sodium. Silicon nitride provided a tough surface passivation and paved the way for the era of low-cost plastic packages with acceptable reliability.…”

Section: Toward Large Scale Integrationmentioning

confidence: 99%