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LEIS for Thin Film Analysis in Semiconductors

LEIS can be used to study the growth of very thin films on semiconductor surfaces with atomic layer precision. It allows detection of the topmost atomic layer of a surface and determination of relative surface coverage. In one study, LEIS was used to monitor the formation of a tungsten nitride carbon film deposited by atomic layer deposition on a silicon surface. LEIS showed the silicon signal disappeared after 40 deposition cycles, indicating a fully closed protective film was formed. As dimensions of semiconductor devices shrink, high surface sensitivity techniques like LEIS are important for analyzing thinning films and diffusion processes.

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3 views2 pages

LEIS for Thin Film Analysis in Semiconductors

LEIS can be used to study the growth of very thin films on semiconductor surfaces with atomic layer precision. It allows detection of the topmost atomic layer of a surface and determination of relative surface coverage. In one study, LEIS was used to monitor the formation of a tungsten nitride carbon film deposited by atomic layer deposition on a silicon surface. LEIS showed the silicon signal disappeared after 40 deposition cycles, indicating a fully closed protective film was formed. As dimensions of semiconductor devices shrink, high surface sensitivity techniques like LEIS are important for analyzing thinning films and diffusion processes.

Uploaded by

KarimMohamed
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

What can it do for me?

Detection of elements at the top-most atomic layer of a surface

Determine relative coverage of a surface by a certain element

What are the typical applications?

Extremely surface sensitive measurements, such as adsorption of species onto single crystals

Indication of monolayer coverage of a surface, such as by a self-assembled monolayer

Follow growth of ultra-thin layers, such as in atomic layer deposition

Are there any limitations?

Extremely sensitive to contamination

Difficult to resolve many elements in a single spectrum

ISS is an ultra-high vacuum (UHV) technique

LEIS in Semiconductor industry


As the dimensions of semiconductor devices continue to shrink, the more need to
study thin films surface and topology with high surface sensitivity techniques, in
2006 Stokhof and coworkers used LEIS to study the growth of WN X C Y films
deposited by ALD Atomic Layer Deposition that played an important role in
preventing copper from diffusing into neighboring materials, and to make a good
copper diffusion barrier we must coat copper with a completely closed layer which is
very thin and conformal, so we preserve copper high conductivity from wasted
volume and extra resistivity of the barrier layer, the thickness of the layer was
controlled by number of ALD cycles.
in this study, the growth rate of the WNX C Y film was 0.8 0A per ALD cycle, LEIS
showed a strong silicon surface signal that disappeared after 40 cycles of ALD
indicating the formation of a completely closed film, Generally the films in
semiconductors are shrinking and becoming thinner than the depth of analysis of
most surface analysis techniques, since 1990 the gate oxide thickness was sub 10
nm when the technology reached 22 nm node the gate oxide thickness goes down
0.8 nm, so as films gets thinner surface sensitivity becomes more important to
study and trace changes in film properties with thickness diminishing, also diffusion
is a very important process that takes place in fabrication of semiconductor devices,
a process sometimes wanted and sometimes it is unwanted, so LEIS provides a
powerful and reliable tool to study and analyze diffusion in thin films and perform in
situ diffusion studies.

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