Survey of the metal nucleation processes on silicon surfaces in fluoride solutions: From dilute HF to concentrated NH4F solutions

Marius Chemla*, Takayuki Homma, Valerie Bertagna, Rene Erre, Nobuhiro Kubo, Tetsuya Osaka

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalConference articlepeer-review

45 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

As is well known, contamination of the silicon surface by trace metal impurities is responsible for detrimental effects in the production of ULSI circuits. An extensive experimental study of the factors influencing the spontaneous metal nucleation from fluoride solutions on Si substrates was undertaken. In acidic media (dilute HF solution) only noble metals can be deposited. The mechanism for the formation of Cu element nuclei was chosen as a model example. The first stage was the appearance of Cu crystals of a nanoscopic scale, observed by AFM microscopy. These nuclei soon induce corrosion pits due to the formation of a short-circuited electrochemical cell. In concentrated NH4F solutions, the open circuit potential (ocp) of Si samples is highly negative and provides an efficient driving force for nucleation even for common metals like Fe. Our results show that the deposition of Fe is hardly observable when Fe only is present, but in the presence of Cu, a catalytic effect is observed leading to the co-deposition of Fe+Cu nuclei. In all cases surface defects on the Si substrate are generated by the corrosion pits.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)111-123
Number of pages13
JournalJournal of Electroanalytical Chemistry
Volume559
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2003 Nov 15
EventInternational Symposium on Materials Processing for Nonstruct (MPND2001) - Kyoto, Japan
Duration: 2001 Sept 162001 Sept 19

Keywords

  • Contamination
  • Corrosion
  • Nanoparticles
  • Semiconductor
  • Silicon
  • Surface defects

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Analytical Chemistry
  • Chemical Engineering(all)
  • Electrochemistry

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