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 language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 111-123 |
| Number of pages | 13 |
| Journal | Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry |
| Volume | 559 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2003 Nov 15 |
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Keywords
- Contamination
- Corrosion
- Nanoparticles
- Semiconductor
- Silicon
- Surface defects
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Chemical Engineering(all)
- Analytical Chemistry
- Electrochemistry
Cite this
Survey of the metal nucleation processes on silicon surfaces in fluoride solutions : From dilute HF to concentrated NH4F solutions. / Chemla, Marius; Homma, Takayuki; Bertagna, Valerie; Erre, Rene; Kubo, Nobuhiro; Osaka, Tetsuya.
In: Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry, Vol. 559, 15.11.2003, p. 111-123.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Survey of the metal nucleation processes on silicon surfaces in fluoride solutions
T2 - From dilute HF to concentrated NH4F solutions
AU - Chemla, Marius
AU - Homma, Takayuki
AU - Bertagna, Valerie
AU - Erre, Rene
AU - Kubo, Nobuhiro
AU - Osaka, Tetsuya
PY - 2003/11/15
Y1 - 2003/11/15
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
KW - Contamination
KW - Corrosion
KW - Nanoparticles
KW - Semiconductor
KW - Silicon
KW - Surface defects
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0242489286&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0242489286&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/S0022-0728(02)01280-9
DO - 10.1016/S0022-0728(02)01280-9
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0242489286
VL - 559
SP - 111
EP - 123
JO - Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry
JF - Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry
SN - 0022-0728
ER -