DOCSLIB.ORG

Surface Passivation of Crystalline Silicon Wafer Using H2S Gas

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Surface Passivation of Crystalline Silicon Wafer Using H2S Gas applied sciences Article Surface Passivation of Crystalline Silicon Wafer Using H2S Gas Jian Lin 1, Hongsub Jee 1, Jangwon Yoo 1 , Junsin Yi 1, Chaehwan Jeong 2 and Jaehyeong Lee 1,* 1 Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon 16419, Korea; [email protected] (J.L.); [email protected] (H.J.);[email protected] (J.Y.); [email protected] (J.Y.) 2 Smart Energy & Nano R&D Group, Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, Gwangju 61012, Korea; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] Abstract: We report the effects of H2S passivation on the effective minority carrier lifetime of crystalline silicon (c-Si) wafers. c-Si wafers were thermally annealed under an H2S atmosphere at various temperatures. The initial minority carrier lifetime (6.97 µs) of a c-Si wafer without any passivation treatments was also measured for comparison. The highest minority carrier lifetime gain of 2030% was observed at an annealing temperature of 600 ◦C. The X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis revealed that S atoms were bonded to Si atoms after H2S annealing treatment. This indicates that the increase in minority carrier lifetime originating from the effect of sulfur passivation on the silicon wafer surface involves dangling bonds. Keywords: crystalline silicon; H2S; minority carrier lifetime; passivation; dangling bonds 1. Introduction In recent years, photovoltaic systems are becoming very popular because of their enormous amount of clean and unlimited solar energy, which can be harvested through Citation: Lin, J.; Jee, H.; Yoo, J.; Yi, J.; Jeong, C.; Lee, J. Surface Passivation photovoltaic solar cells [1–3]. Among the various technologies that increase solar cells’ of Crystalline Silicon Wafer Using efficiency, surface passivation treatment plays a key role in the silicon-based solar cell H2S Gas. Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 3527. fabrication process. The dangling bonds on the silicon wafer surface are known to work as https://doi.org/10.3390/app11083527 recombination centers and cause the loss of photon-generated carriers. Many advanced passivation materials have been developed and are widely used in commercial produc- Academic Editor: Sungjun Park tion, including SiNX:H, SiOX, and AlOX [4–9]. These materials have been shown to have good passivation effects on the silicon wafer surface. However, these materials are pro- Received: 25 March 2021 duced through complex fabrication systems that necessitate precise control of gaseous Accepted: 12 April 2021 reactants [10]. Published: 15 April 2021 According to Mead and Spitzer, the high density of the semiconductor/metal interface will pin the interfacial Fermi level, making the barrier height less sensitive to the metalwork Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral function [11]. Experimentally, Ali found that sulfur-passivated silicon substrates show with regard to jurisdictional claims in greater sensitivity to the metalwork function in terms of Schottky barrier height [12]. This published maps and institutional affil- was attributed to the reduction in surface density through passivation of dangling silicon iations. bonds by S. Previous results show that S atoms are absorbed on the Si wafer surface in the form of Si–S–Si bridge bonds [13,14]. The significant minority carrier lifetime gains of multicrystalline Si recently achieved by sulfur treatment further prove that sulfur treatment can effectively passivate dangling silicon bonds on the surface [15]. Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. In this study, we report the effect of sulfur passivation on crystalline silicon wafers Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. using H2S annealing treatment at various temperatures. The results show that a significant This article is an open access article improvement in passivation can be obtained after H2S annealing treatment. Moreover, distributed under the terms and 600 ◦C was found to be the best temperature condition for crystalline silicon wafers. Under conditions of the Creative Commons this condition, the highest minority carrier lifetime gain of up to 2030% can be observed Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// using the Sinton WCT-120 measurement system. creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/). Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 3527. https://doi.org/10.3390/app11083527 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, x FOR PEER REVIEW 2 of 7 Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 3527 2 of 7 2. Materials and Methods 2. Materials and Methods N-type flat c-silicon wafers (100) with 1–10 ohm·cm, 200 μm were used for the exper- N-type flat c-silicon wafers (100) with 1–10 ohm·cm, 200 µm were used for the experi- iments. Before the experiments, the wafers were cleaned in a 3-step process: saw damage ments. Before the experiments, the wafers were cleaned in a 3-step process: saw damage removal,removal, organic organic cleaning, cleaning, and and ionic ionic cleaning. cleaning. For For saw saw damage damage removal, removal, the the wafers wafers were were soakedsoaked in in 45% 45% KOH KOH solution solution at 70 °C◦C for for 20 20 min. min. For For organic organic and and ionic ionic cleaning, cleaning, the the wafers wafers werewere cleaned inin standardstandard RCA-1RCA-1 and and RCA-2 RCA-2 procedures procedures in in sequence sequence [16 [16,17].,17]. After After cleaning, clean- ing, the oxide layer induced by H2O2 was removed by 1% HF for 30 secs. Afterward, the the oxide layer induced by H2O2 was removed by 1% HF for 30 s. Afterward, the silicon siliconwafers wafers were blow-dried were blow-dried quickly quickly to prevent to prevent reoxidation. reoxidation. H2S annealing treatments were conducted in a 2-zone quartz tube furnace. The quartz H2S annealing treatments were conducted in a 2-zone quartz tube furnace. The tube was pumped to a pressure of 5 mTorr before being charged with H2S gas. To thor- quartz tube was pumped to a pressure of 5 mTorr before being charged with H2S gas. To oughly evacuate the air from the quartz tube, the tube was charged with H2S gas twice thoroughly evacuate the air from the quartz tube, the tube was charged with H2S gas twice beforebefore annealing annealing treatment treatment was was begun. begun. Then, Then, the the quartz quartz tube tube was was heated heated to to the desired temperature.temperature. The annealingannealing processingprocessing time time was was 20 20 min. min. When When the the processing processing time time ran out,ran out,the Hthe2S H gas2S wasgas pumpedwas pumped out of out the of tube, the andtube, the and heater the heater was turned was turned off. During off. During the cooling the coolingtime, argon time, gas argon was gas introduced was introduced into the into tube the at atube flow at ratea flow of 20rate sccm. of 20 The sccm. silicon The waferssilicon waferswere unloaded were unloaded when thewhen temperature the temperature dropped dropped below below 50 ◦C. 50 For °C. reproducibility, For reproducibility, each eachcondition condition was testedwas tested three three times, times, and and the averagethe average value value was was taken, taken, as shown as shown in Figure in Fig-1 ureand 1 Table and Table1. 1. FigureFigure 1. 1. TheThe plot plot of of minority minority carrier carrier lifetime lifetime gains gains vs. vs. annealing annealing temperature temperature for for H H22SS annealing. annealing. Table 1. Table of minority carrierTable lifetime 1. Table gains of minority vs. annealing carrier temperature lifetime gains for vs. H2 Sannealing annealing temperature (initial minority for H carrier2S annealing lifetime: (ini- 6.97 µs). tial minority carrier lifetime: 6.97 μs). H2S AnnealingH S Annealing Temperature 2 500500 525525 550550 575575 600600 625625 650650 675 700 Temperature(°C) (◦C) Minority carrierMinority lifetime 13.2/13.2/ 16.1/16.1/ 12.2/12.2/ 15.9/15.9/ 20.3/20.3/ 13.1/13.1/ 5.9/5.9/ 10.8/ 17.2/ carriergain lifetime (×100%) gain (×100%) 0.25170.25170.2646 0.2646 0.2 0.2 0.36010.3601 0.16330.1633 0.26460.2646 0.10.1 0.1732 0.17320.1732 /standard/standard deviation deviation TheThe surface surface morphology morphology of of the the CuI CuI films films was was characterized characterized using using a a scanning scanning electron electron microscopemicroscope (JSM-7610F, (JSM-7610F, JEOL, JEOL, Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan). The The surface surface reactions reactions were were monitored by transmission-modetransmission-mode Fourier-transform Fourier-transform infrared infrared (FTIR) (FTIR) spectroscopy. spectroscopy. The The composition of thethe silicon silicon wafers wafers was was analyzed analyzed using using XPS XPS (k-alpha, (k-alpha, Thermo Thermo Fisher Fisher Scientific, Scientific, Waltham, Waltham, MA,MA, USA). USA). Lifetime Lifetime measurements measurements were were done done wi withth a a WCT-120 WCT-120 lifetime tester from from Sinton Sinton instruments.instruments. Appl. Sci. 2021, 11, 3527 3 of 7 3. Results and Discussion Passivation quality was measured with a Sinton WCT-120 instrument. It is widely known that silicon wafers show huge fluctuations in minority carrier lifetime. Due to wafer quality fluctuations, the gain in minority carrier lifetime is used to represent passivation quality. After the wafer cleaning procedure, H2S annealing experiments were carried out to investigate the relationship between temperature and passivation quality. Figure1 and Table1 show the minority carrier lifetime gain vs. temperature. In this minority carrier lifetime gain-temperature plot, 2 peaks were observed; one is 1610% at 525 ◦C, and the ◦ other one is 2030% at 600 C. Yinghuang found that H2 is the desorption product of thermal decomposition of H2S on silicon [9]. Later, Arunodoy experimentally proved that passiva- tion quality on silicon is related to the combined effect of hydrogen and sulfur atoms [14]. Hence, the 2 peaks in the table probably stem from the same passivation mechanism as reported by Arunodoy. Compared with the highest minority carrier lifetime gain (2750%) obtained by Arunodoy, the H2S passivation quality seems inferior.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Evaluation of Passivation Process for Stainless Steel Hypotubes Used in Coronary Angioplasty Technique
    coatings Article Evaluation of Passivation Process for Stainless Steel Hypotubes Used in Coronary Angioplasty Technique Lucien Reclaru 1,2 and Lavinia Cosmina Ardelean 2,3,* 1 Scientific Independent Consultant Biomaterials and Medical Devices, 103 Paul-Vouga, 2074 Marin-Neuchâtel, Switzerland; [email protected] 2 Multidisciplinary Center for Research, Evaluation, Diagnosis and Therapies in Oral Medicine, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, 2 Eftimie Murgu sq, 300041 Timisoara, Romania 3 Department of Technology of Materials and Devices in Dental Medicine, “Victor Babes” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timisoara, 2 Eftimie Murgu sq, 300041 Timisoara, Romania * Correspondence: [email protected] Abstract: In the manufacturing of hypotubes for coronary applications, austenitic steels of types 304, 304, or 316 L are being used. The manufacturing process involves bending steel strips into tubes and the continuous longitudinal welding of the tubes. Manufacturing also includes heat treatments and stretching operations to achieve an external/internal diameter of 0.35/0.23 mm, with a tolerance of +/− 0.01 mm. Austenitic steels are sensitive to localized corrosion (pitting, crevice, and intergranular) that results from the welding process and various heat treatments. An extremely important step is the cleaning and the internal and external passivation of the hypotube surface. During patient interventions, there is a high risk of metal cations being released in contact with human blood. The aim of this study was to evaluate the state of passivation and corrosion resistance by using electrochemical methods and specific intergranular corrosion tests (the Strauss test). There were difficulties in passivating the hypotubes and assessing the corrosion phenomena in the interior of the tubes.
    [Show full text]
  • Si Passivation and Chemical Vapor Deposition of Silicon Nitride: Final Technical Report, March 18, 2007
    A national laboratory of the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency & Renewable Energy National Renewable Energy Laboratory Innovation for Our Energy Future Si Passivation and Chemical Subcontract Report NREL/SR-520-42325 Vapor Deposition of Silicon Nitride November 2007 Final Technical Report March 18, 2007 H.A. Atwater California Institute of Technology Pasadena, California NREL is operated by Midwest Research Institute ● Battelle Contract No. DE-AC36-99-GO10337 Si Passivation and Chemical Subcontract Report NREL/SR-520-42325 Vapor Deposition of Silicon Nitride November 2007 Final Technical Report March 18, 2007 H.A. Atwater California Institute of Technology Pasadena, California NREL Technical Monitor: R. Matson/F. Posey-Eddy Prepared under Subcontract No. AAT-2-31605-01 National Renewable Energy Laboratory 1617 Cole Boulevard, Golden, Colorado 80401-3393 303-275-3000 • www.nrel.gov Operated for the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy by Midwest Research Institute • Battelle Contract No. DE-AC36-99-GO10337 This publication was reproduced from the best available copy Submitted by the subcontractor and received no editorial review at NREL NOTICE This report was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States government. Neither the United States government nor any agency thereof, nor any of their employees, makes any warranty, express or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States government or any agency thereof.
    [Show full text]
  • Analysis of the Silicon Dioxide Passivation and Forming Gas
    &RQIHUHQFH3URFHHGLQJV 6RODU:RUOG&RQJUHVV Daegu, Korea, 08 – 12 November 2015 Analysis of the Silicon Dioxide Passivation and Forming Gas Annealing in Silicon Solar Cells Izete Zanesco and Adriano Moehlecke Solar Energy Technology Nucleus (NT-Solar), Faculty of Physics, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), Porto Alegre (Brazil) Abstract The passivation of silicon solar cells by the deposition of SiNx anti-reflection coating is usual in the industry. However, materials such as SiO2, TiO2 and Al2O3 may be a cost-effective alternative and its analysis is mainly reported in silicon wafers. The goal of this paper is to present the development and analysis of silicon solar cells passivated with a thin layer of SiO2 as well as the evaluation of the effectiveness of the annealing step in forming gas. The dry oxidation was performed before the TiO2 anti-reflection coating deposition and the annealing in forming gas was performed in the same furnace. The temperature and time of the oxidation and the annealing step were experimentally optimized. The efficiency of 15.9 %was achieved. The highest average efficiency was found in the oxidation temperature range from 750 ºC to 800 ºC, during 7 minutes, caused by the increasing of open circuit voltage and fill factor. At short wavelengths, the internal quantum efficiency decreases slightly with the increasing of the oxidation temperature. The minority carrier diffusion length (LD) of the solar cells processed with the oxidation temperature of 800 °C was around 1890 Pm. The open circuit voltage shows a slight trend of increasing with the oxidation time. The annealing step in forming gas did not improve the average efficiency of the solar cells.
    [Show full text]
  • H2O2 Hydrogen Peroxide Passivation Procedure
    Solvaytechnical Chemicals PUBLICATION H2O2 Passivation Procedure Introduction Hydrogen peroxide is a strong chemical oxidant which decomposes into water and oxygen in the presence of a catalytic quantity of any transition metal (e.g., iron, copper, nickel, etc.). The primary concern with decomposition is the buildup of pressure which can lead to pressure Prepare for passivation by roping off the work area bursts. To prevent this from occurring, any metal surface that comes in and posting warning signs. All open lights and tools contact with hydrogen peroxide must be degreased, pickled and which may spark must be removed from the passivated, even if only used once. The degreasing and pickling steps passivation area. Smoking is prohibited within the chemically clean the metal surfaces. The passivating step oxidizes the passivation area. Prior to preparation of the chemical metal surface. The thin oxide coating, which forms on the metal surface solutions, determine how to dispose of the spent during passivation, renders the surface nonreactive to hydrogen peroxide chemicals. These chemicals must be disposed of in and prevents the metal from decomposing the peroxide. a safe and environmentally sound manner that is consistent with all applicable federal, state, and The passivation procedure consists of: local regulations. 1. Grinding to remove weld spatter and smooth out scratches. 2. Degreasing to remove oil and grease films. Application methods 3. Pickling to chemically clean the surface. The chemical solutions may be applied to the metal surfaces by the four different methods listed below. 4. Passivating with nitric acid to form an oxide film. • The metal surfaces may be sprayed with the 5.
    [Show full text]
  • Effect of the Electrochemical Passivation on the Corrosion Behaviour of Austenitic Stainless Steel
    Effect of the electrochemical passivation on the corrosion behaviour of austenitic stainless steel A. Barbucci, M.Delucchi, M. Panizza, G, Farné, G. Cerisola DICheP, University of Genova, P.le Kennedy 1, 16129 Genova, Italy tel: +390103536030, e-mail: [email protected] Abstract: Cold rolled SS is also fruitfully used in deep drawing however the presence of scales or oxides on the surface reduces the life of the tools and emphasises creep phenomena of the material. Then a cleaning of the SS surface from these impurities is necessary. Oxides can be formed during the hot rolling preceding the cold one, or during the annealing performed between the several steps of thickness reduction. The annealing helps to decrease the work hardening occurring during the process. Normally this heat treatment is performed in reducing atmosphere of pure hydrogen (bright annealing), but even in this conditions oxides are formed on the SS surface. To avoid this uncontrolled oxide growth one method recently applied is an electrochemical cleaning performed in an electrolytic solution containing chrome, generally called electrochemical passivation. The electrochemical passivation allows the dissolution of the contaminating hard particles on the strips. Few scientific contributions are available in literature, which explain in detail the process mechanism. The aim of this work is to investigate if the electrochemical passivated surface acts in a different way with regard to corrosion phenomena with respect to conventional SS. Electrochemical measurements like polarisations, chronoamperometries and surface analysis were used to investigate the corrosion behaviour of electrochemically passivated AISI 304L and AISI 305. The effect of some process parameters were considered, too.
    [Show full text]
  • Why Passivate Stainless Steel and What Happens If You Don't
    Technical Article Page 1 of 4 Why Passivate Stainless Steel and What Happens If You Don’t By: Patrick H. Banes, Astro Pak Corporation To insure having the maximum corrosion resistance that austenitic stainless steel has to offer, the stainless steel surface must be in a passive state. The passive condition on the surface of the stainless steel is obtained by formation of a chromium oxide film on the metal‘s surface. This is accomplished by passivating the metal. Chemical passivation procedures using alkalines, wetting agents, chelants, and organic or inorganic acids are used to clean the metal surface thoroughly and in conjunction with an oxygen rich atmosphere, a uniform chromium oxide film forms. The key is to have a uniform chromium oxide film with an acceptable chrome to iron ratio (typically>1) and thickness (20-50) angstroms. Passivation is required to restore or enhance the chromium oxide film on the stainless steel surface when it has been manipulated by surface finishing, welding, grinding, external contamination, etc. Mechanical finishing of stainless steel surfaces allows for a very smooth surface and is a prerequisite for sub- sequent electro-polishing. The mechanical action disrupts the existing passive surface and results in a surface with a low chrome to iron ratio. The possibility of surface contamination getting pushed or smeared into the metal surface or sub-surface also exists. Welding stainless steel is one of the primary reasons for passivating. The metal surface is altered and free iron is released from the alloy. The chrome to iron ratio is also lowered in the heat affected zone of the weld.
    [Show full text]
  • Brief Review of Surface Passivation on III-V Semiconductor
    crystals Review Brief Review of Surface Passivation on III-V Semiconductor Lu Zhou 1, Baoxue Bo 2, Xingzhen Yan 1, Chao Wang 1, Yaodan Chi 1 and Xiaotian Yang 1,* 1 Jilin Provincial Key Laboratory of Architectural Electricity & Comprehensive Energy Saving, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer, Jilin Jianzhu University, Changchun 130118, China; [email protected] (L.Z.); [email protected] (X.Y.); [email protected] (C.W.); [email protected] (Y.C.) 2 National Key Laboratory on High Power Semiconductor Lasers, Changchun University of Science and Technology, Changchun 130022, China; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] Received: 30 March 2018; Accepted: 9 May 2018; Published: 18 May 2018 Abstract: The III-V compound semiconductor, which has the advantage of wide bandgap and high electron mobility, has attracted increasing interest in the optoelectronics and microelectronics field. The poor electronic properties of III-V semiconductor surfaces resulting from a high density of surface/interface states limit III-V device technology development. Various techniques have been applied to improve the surface and interface quality, which cover sulfur-passivation, plasmas-passivation, ultrathin film deposition, and so on. In this paper, recent research of the surface passivation on III-V semiconductors was reviewed and compared. It was shown that several passivation methods can lead to a perfectly clean surface, but only a few methods can be considered for actual device integration due to their effectiveness and simplicity. Keywords: III-V semiconductor; passivation; MOCAP; ALD; XPS 1. Introduction III-V semiconductor materials, such as GaAs, InGaAs, GaSb, InP, InAs, InSb, have high surface state density (>1013 cm−2) lacking a high quality intrinsic oxide passivation layer, which lead to Fermi level pinning, surface recombination accelerating, and therefore deteriorate the device performance in microelectronic and optoelectronic fields.
    [Show full text]
  • Pickling and Passivating Stainless Steel
    Pickling and Passivating Stainless Steel Materials and Applications Series, Volume 4 Euro Inox Euro Inox is the European market development Full Members association for stainless steel. The members of the Euro Acerinox Inox include: www.acerinox.es • European stainless steel producers • National stainless steel development associations Outokumpu • Development associations of the alloying element www.outokumpu.com industries. ThyssenKrupp Acciai Speciali Terni The prime objectives of Euro Inox are to create awareness www.acciaiterni.com of the unique properties of stainless steels and to further ThyssenKrupp Nirosta their use in existing applications and in new markets. www.nirosta.de To achieve these objectives, Euro Inox organises UGINE & ALZ Belgium conferences and seminars, and issues guidance in UGINE & ALZ France printed and electronic form, to enable designers, Arcelor Mittal Group specifiers, fabricators and end users to become more www.ugine-alz.com familiar with the material. Euro Inox also supports technical and market research. Associate Members Acroni www.acroni.si ISBN 978-2-87997-224-4 (First Edition 2004 ISBN 2-87997-047-4) British Stainless Steel Association (BSSA) www.bssa.org.uk Czech version 978-2-87997-139-1 Cedinox Finnish version 2-87997-134-9 www.cedinox.es French version 978-2-87997-261-9 Centro Inox German version 978-2-87997-262-6 www.centroinox.it Dutch version 2-87997-131-4 Informationsstelle Edelstahl Rostfrei Polish version 2-87997-138-1 www.edelstahl-rostfrei.de Spanish version 2-87997-133-0 Institut de Développement de l’Inox (I.D.-Inox) Swedish version 2-87997-135-7 www.idinox.com Turkish version 978-2-87997-225-1 International Chromium Development Association (ICDA) www.icdachromium.com International Molybdenum Association (IMOA) www.imoa.info Nickel Institute www.nickelinstitute.org Polska Unia Dystrybutorów Stali (PUDS) www.puds.com.pl SWISS INOX www.swissinox.ch Content Pickling and Passivating Stainless Steel 1.
    [Show full text]
  • High-Mobility Stable 4H-Sic Mosfets Using a Thin PSG Interfacial Passivation Layer Y
    IEEE ELECTRON DEVICE LETTERS, VOL. 34, NO. 2, FEBRUARY 2013 175 High-Mobility Stable 4H-SiC MOSFETs Using a Thin PSG Interfacial Passivation Layer Y. K. Sharma, A. C. Ahyi, T. Isaacs-Smith, A. Modic, M. Park, Y. Xu, E. L. Garfunkel, S. Dhar, L. C. Feldman, and J. R. Williams Abstract—Phosphorous from P2O5 is more effective than nitro- passivation (P-passivation) is more effective than NO passiva- 2 gen for passivating the 4H-SiC/SiO2 interface. The peak value tion, providing peak mobilities of 80–90 cm /V · s [7], [8] for of the field-effect mobility for 4H-SiC metal–oxide–semiconductor devices fabricated on the conventional (0001) Si-face. The peak field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) after phosphorus passivation 2 · ¯ 2 mobilities are even higher, about 125 cm /V s for the (1120) is approximately 80 cm /V · s. However, P2O5 converts the SiO2 layer to phosphosilicate glass (PSG)—a polar material that in- a-face, as reported in a recent paper [9]. troduces voltage instabilities which negate the benefits of lower However, after P-passivation, the oxide is no longer SiO2 interface trap density and higher mobility. We report a signifi- but rather is transformed to phosphosilicate glass (PSG). The cant improvement in voltage stability with mobilities as high as polar characteristics of PSG cause threshold voltage instabili- 72 cm2/V · s for MOSFETs fabricated with a thin PSG gate layer ties [8], [10]. Herein, we describe a process of forming a thin (∼10 nm) capped with a deposited oxide. PSG interfacial layer (∼10 nm) capped by a thick SiO2 layer Index Terms—MOSFET, silicon carbide, stability, thin phos- (∼35 nm) that provides much improved voltage stability and phosilicate glass (PSG).
    [Show full text]
  • How to Do Failure Analysis for Stress Cracks
    12 EDFAAO (2016) 2:12-14 1537-0755/$19.00 ©ASM International® HOW TO DO FAILURE ANALYSIS VOLUME 18 NO. 2 NO. 18 VOLUME | FOR STRESS CRACKS David Burgess, Accelerated Analysis [email protected] INTRODUCTION Stress cracks were found in products from manufactur- ers worldwide. Attempts to screen out potential failures Failure analysis is all about finding pertinent questions were not successful. The failure rate due to stress voiding with meaningful answers. (or “creep”) seemed to increase with time. That is, stress How do you do failure analysis for stress cracks? This voiding was a wearout mechanism that started at time zero. ELECTRONIC DEVICE FAILURE ANALYSIS DEVICE FAILURE ELECTRONIC is, of course, a dumb question. The obvious simple answer is: you don’t. You don’t know stress cracks are the cause BASIC CAUSE OF STRESS CRACKS of a failure before the analysis is done. Aluminum has a coefficient of thermal expansion −6 The simple answer is correct but not helpful. Dumb (CTE) of 26 × 10 /°C. The CTEs of SiO2 and silicon are questions often point to valid and real questions. In this approximately 0.5 × 10−6/°C and 3.5 × 10−6/°C, respec- case, a real question is: “If stress cracks were the cause of tively. Deposited aluminum adheres well to SiO2. Good a failure, how can that conclusion be discovered and sup- adherence to SiO2 is necessary for IC manufacture, but ported?” That is a good question and an important one. adherence results in mechanical stress in a deposited Chances are that the correct conclusion will be missed or aluminum film.
    [Show full text]
  • Passivation and the Passive Layer
    ® > Passivation and the Passive Layer DARYL L. ROLL, P.E. INTRODUCTION Purity of fluids and gases are a critical issue in the food and beverage industry. Passivation techniques provide a way of achieving it. Contamination causes serious problems for a food and beverage company. Not only can it damage or fail the end product, but it can also require the replacement of valuable equipment resulting in unnecessary expense and costly system downtime. For these reasons, clean, corrosion resistant systems are essential. Passivating chemistry using chelants is the most effective technology. Chelants (KEY-LANTS) are chemicals that form soluble, complex molecules with certain metal ions, thereby inactivating the ions in solution so they cannot normally react with another element or ions to produce precipitates or scale. Chelants enhance the solubility of scales and certain other contaminants do not precipitate when the cleaning solution’s pH is adjusted for disposal, and can be used on some scales and contaminants that mineral acids will not attack. When properly used chelants minimize intergranular attack, pitting, and other harmful effects. A TECHNICAL SUMMARY PASSIVATION DEFINED: Passivation is the chemical treatment process by which the electrochemical condition of passivity is obtained on the sur- face of metal alloys. Passivity as it relates to austenitic stainless steel is the state in which chemical reactivity is minimized under special environmental conditions, such that the metal exhibits a very low corrosion rate. A graphical representation of these zones can be seen in Figure 1. The passive layer and the transition zone are only about 3 to 4 molecular levels thick; therefore, both layers are very susceptible to damage.
    [Show full text]
  • DRAFT NEW TEST GUIDELINE Determination of Relative Metal
    15 February 2021 1 DRAFT NEW TEST GUIDELINE 2 Determination of relative metal/metalloid release using a simple 3 simulated gastric fluid (0.032 M HCl) 4 INTRODUCTION 5 1. There are several laboratory methods to determine metal/metalloid releases in synthetic 6 fluids from various materials including art materials and toys, but also soils [e.g. (1)(2)(3)]. The 7 US EPA Validated Test Method 1340 (one of SW-846 guidance methods) corresponds to the 8 “in vitro bioaccessibility assay for lead in soil" (4), the validation of an “In Vitro 9 Bioaccessibility Test Method for Estimation of Bioavailability of arsenic from soil and 10 sediment” has also been conducted (5)(6). Some of the in vitro methods have been applied to 11 refine the assessments of human exposures to metals/metalloids in soils and dusts [e.g. 12 (7)(8)(9)(10)]. Yet, until adoption of this Test Guideline, there was no internationally 13 harmonised protocol (e.g., OECD Test Guideline) on how to conduct a cell-free in vitro method 14 using a simulated gastric fluid to generate relative metal/metalloid release data for a broad 15 number of metals and metalloids. However, this Test Guideline does not discuss the regulatory 16 use of the data obtained with the test method. Relevant Competent Authorities may be consulted 17 for that purpose. 18 19 2. This Test Guideline describes how to measure material-specific metal/metalloid release 20 data and calculate relative metal/metalloid releases from materials such as metals and 21 metalloids, inorganic metal compounds and other inorganic complex metal(metalloid)- 22 containing materials [e.g., alloys, pigments, and materials of Unknown or Variable 23 composition, Complex reaction products and Biological materials (UVCBs)] in a simple 24 simulated gastric fluid composed of 0.032 M HCl, pH 1.5 ± 0.1.
    [Show full text]