Correlation between the performance and microstructure of Ti/Al/Ti/Au Ohmic contacts to p-type silicon nanowires

Understanding the electrical and microstructural aspects of contact formation at nanoscale is essential for the realization of low-resistance metallization suitable for the next generation of nanowire based devices. In this study, we present detailed electrical and microstructural characteristics of Ti/Al/Ti/Au metal contacts to p-type Si nanowires (SiNWs) annealed at various temperatures. Focused ion beam cross-sectioning techniques and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) were used to determine the microstructure of the source/drain metal contacts of working SiNW field-effect transistors (FETs) annealed for 30 s in the 450-850?°C temperature range in inert atmosphere. Formation of titanium silicides is observed at the metal/semiconductor interface after the 750?°C anneal. Extensive Si out-diffusion from the nanowire after the 750?°C anneal led to Kirkendall void formation. Annealing at 850?°C led to almost complete out-diffusion of Si from the nanowire core. Devices with 550?°C annealed contacts had linear electrical characteristics; whereas the devices annealed at 750?°C had the best characteristics in terms of linearity, symmetric behavior, and yield. Devices annealed at 850?°C had poor yield, which can be directly attributed to the microstructure of the contact region observed in STEM.     

2.6 Surface resistance measurement as an aid in controlling the fabrication of silicides

Silicides are used as ohmic contacts to silicon-based devices, and as rectifying contacts in some applications. The formation of the silicide is essential for the electrical properties as well as the long-term stability of the contact. In this paper we describe the use of surface resistance measurements to identify silicide formation. This parameter was determined as a function of temperature and duration of heat treatment, for layers of Pd, Pt and Rh deposited on Si crystals. The four-point-probe technique was used. Apart from identification of the silicide, we also found that increased annealing decreased the surface resistance of a formed silicide.     

Fabrication of flexible and vertical silicon nanowire electronics

Vertical silicon nanowire (SiNW) array devices directly connected on both sides to metallic contacts were fabricated on various non-Si-based substrates (e.g., glass, plastics, and metal foils) in order to fully exploit the nanomaterial properties for final applications. The devices were realized with uniform length Ag-assisted electroless etched SiNW arrays that were detached from their fabrication substrate, typically Si wafers, reattached to arbitrary substrates, and formed with metallic contacts on both sides of the NW array. Electrical characterization of the SiNW array devices exhibits good current-voltage characteristics consistent with the SiNW morphology.     

Endotaxial silicide nanowires: A review

We review the topic of self-assembled endotaxial silicide nanowires on silicon. Crystallographic orientation, lattice mismatch and average dimensions are discussed for a variety of systems including Ti, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Pt and several rare earths on Si(100), Si(111) and Si(110) surfaces. In situ observations of growth dynamics support a constant-shape growth model, in which length, width and thickness all change in proportion as the nanowire grows, with thermally activated, facet-dependent rates.     

Ledge-flow-controlled catalyst interface dynamics during Si nanowire growth

Self-assembled nanowires offer the prospect of accurate and scalable device engineering at an atomistic scale for applications in electronics, photonics and biology. However, deterministic nanowire growth and the control of dopant profiles and heterostructures are limited by an incomplete understanding of the role of commonly used catalysts and specifically of their interface dynamics. Although catalytic chemical vapour deposition of nanowires below the eutectic temperature has been demonstrated in many semiconductor-catalyst systems, growth from solid catalysts is still disputed and the overall mechanism is largely unresolved. Here, we present a video-rate environmental transmission electron microscopy study of Si nanowire formation from Pd silicide crystals under disilane exposure. A Si crystal nucleus forms by phase separation, as observed for the liquid Au-Si system, which we use as a comparative benchmark. The dominant coherent Pd silicide/Si growth interface subsequently advances by lateral propagation of ledges, driven by catalytic dissociation of disilane and coupled Pd and Si diffusion. Our results establish an atomistic framework for nanowire assembly from solid catalysts, relevant also to their contact formation.     

Effect of Co,Pd and Pt ultra-thin films on the Ni-silicide formation: investigating the sandwich configuration

The effect of Co, Pd and Pt ultrathin films on the kinetics of the formation of Ni-silicide by reactive diffusion is investigated. 50 nm Ni/1 nm X/ 50 nm Ni (X?=?Co, Pd, Pt) deposited on Si(100) substrates are studied using in-situ and ex-situ measurements by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The presence of Co, Pd or Pt thin films in between the Ni layers delays the formation of the metal rich phase compared to the pure Ni/Si system and thus these films act as diffusion barriers. A simultaneous silicide formation (δ-Ni₂Si and NiSi phases) different from the classic sequential formation is found during the consumption of the top Ni layer for which Ni has to diffuse through the barrier. A model for the simultaneous growth in the presence of a barrier is developed, and simulation of the kinetics measured by XRD is used to determine the permeability of the different barriers. Atom probe tomography (APT) of the Ni/Pd/Ni system shows that the Pd layer is located between the Ni top layer and δ-Ni₂Si during the silicide growth, in accordance with a silicide formation controlled by Ni diffusion through the Pd layer. The effect of the barrier on the silicide formation and properties is discussed.

     

Hybrid Si nanowire/amorphous silicon FETs for large-area image sensor arrays

Silicon nanowire (SiNW) field-effect transistors (FETs) were fabricated from nanowire mats mechanically transferred from a donor growth wafer. Top- and bottom-gate FET structures were fabricated using a doped a-Si:H thin film as the source/drain (s/d) contact. With a graded doping profile for the a-Si:H s/d contacts, the off-current for the hybrid nanowire/thin-film devices was found to decrease by 3 orders of magnitude. Devices with the graded contacts had on/off ratios of ～10(5), field-effect mobility of ～50 cm(2)/(V s), and subthreshold swing of 2.5 V/decade. A 2 in. diagonal 160 × 180 pixel image sensor array was fabricated by integrating the SiNW backplane with an a-Si:H p-i-n photodiode.     

Interstitial Pt in crystalline Si under thin (<12 nm) overlayers of Pt and PtSi

The Rutherford backscattering flux focusing effect is utilized to specifically detect interstitial Pt in Si. Measurements are performed on Si wafers after Pt evaporation at substrate temperatures of room temperature and 200 C, and for silicide formation after a subsequent 450 C anneal. We observe a high concentration, of the order of 3 at %, of interstitial Pt in crystalline Si for those conditions where Pt rapidly reacts with Si to form silicide. The interstitial Pt concentration is reduced when the suicide reaction is blocked in the metal film. We conclude that the high concentration of interstitial Pt in crystalline Si in the immediate (< 10nm) interface region to a metal or suicide overlayer may be crucial for the reaction of 3d transition metals with Si to form a suicide at low temperatures.     

Structures and field emission characteristics of ion irradiated silicon nanowire arrays

Silicon nanowire (SiNW) arrays irradiated by energetic Si ions were fabricated by metal vapor vacuum arc (MEVVA) ion implantation method. Hetero-structure of amorphous/crystalline nanowire was formed in which structure of the implanted region on the top of the nanowires was amorphous while the structure of unimplanted region on the bottom remained crystal. Field emission (FE) properties of the SiNW arrays could be improved and modulated by different implantation doses. A low turn-on field of 4.63 V/microm was observed in the SiNWs irradiated by 21 keV Si ion with a dose of 7.86 x 10(16)/cm2, and the applied field for the emission current density reaching 100 microA/cm2 is only 5.52 V/microm. The main reason for the efficient emission is attributed to the formation of amorphous SiNWs and structure defects after implantation. The ion irradiated SiNWs after post-annealing at high temperature had better FE property due to eliminating the restrain effect to electrons.     

In-situ X-ray Diffraction study of Metal Induced Crystallization of amorphous silicon

By covering amorphous silicon (a-Si) with a thin metal film, it is possible to lower the crystallization temperature of the a-Si (typically around 800 °C when using ramp anneals) to levels which can be used in a manufacturing process. This phenomenon of Metal Induced Crystallization (MIC) has been reported previously for Ni, Au and Al. In this work, in-situ X-ray Diffraction was used to study the MIC process for 20 different metals (Ti, Zr, Hf, V, Nb, Ta, Cr, Mo, W, Mn, Re, Fe, Ru, Co, Rh, Ir, Ni, Pd, Pt, Cu, Ag, Au, Al). The 7 metals which lower the crystallization temperature the most are Ni, Pt, Pd, Cu, Au, Al and Ag. The crystallization kinetics were studied in detail for these 7 materials. In order to explain the MIC process, two models where used depending on the interaction of the metal with Si (eutectic or compound forming).     

Structure determination of chitosan-stabilized Pt and Pd based bimetallic nanoparticles by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy

Chitosan (CTS)-stabilized bimetallic nanoparticles were prepared at room temperature (rt.) in aqueous solution. Palladium (Pd) and platinum (Pt) were selected as the first metals while iron (Fe) and nickel (Ni) functioned as the second metals. In order to obtain the noble metal core-transition metal shell structures, bimetallic nanoparticles were prepared in a two-step process: the preparation of mono noble metallic (Pd or Pt) nanoparticles and the deposition of transition metals (Fe or Ni) on the surface of the monometallic nanoparticles. The structures of the nanoparticles were studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The XPS results show that Pd and Pt exist mainly in zero valences. The presence of Fe and Ni in the bimetallic nanoparticles affects the binding energy of Pd and Pt. Moreover, the studies of O 1s spectra indicate the presence of Fe or Ni shells. The analyses of TEM micrographs give the particle size and size distributions while the high-resolution TEM (HRTEM) micrographs show the existence of noble metal core lattices. The results confirm the formation of noble metal core-transition metal shell structures.     

An ordered Si nanowire with NiSi2 tip arrays as excellent field emitters

A method was developed to grow ordered silicon nanowire with NiSi(2) tip arrays by reacting nickel thin films on silica-coated ordered Si nanowire (NW) arrays. The coating of thin silica shell on Si NW arrays has the effect of limiting the diffusion of nickel during the silicidation process to achieve the single crystalline NiSi(2) NWs. In the meantime, it relieves the distortion of the NWs caused by the strain associated with formation of NiSi(2) to maintain the straightness of the nanowire and the ordering of the arrays. Other nickel silicide phases such as Ni(2)Si and NiSi were obtained if the silicidation processes were conducted on the ordered Si NWs without a thin silica shell. Excellent field emission properties were found for NiSi(2)/Si NW arrays with a turn on field of 0.82 V μm(-1) and a threshold field of 1.39 V μm(-1). The field enhancement factor was calculated to be about 2440. The stability test showed a fluctuation of about 7% with an applied field of 2.6 V μm(-1) for a period of 24 h. The excellent field emission characteristics are attributed to the well-aligned and highly ordered arrangement of the single crystalline NiSi(2)/Si heterostructure field emitters. In contrast to other growth methods, the present growth of ordered nickel silicide/Si NWs on silicon is compatible with silicon nanoelectronics device processes, and also provides a facile route to grow other well-aligned metal silicide NW arrays. The advantages will facilitate its applications as field emission devices.     

Effect of transition metal (TM) on the crystallization and the magnetic properties of Fe<Subscript>62</Subscript>Co<Subscript>10</Subscript>Si<Subscript>10</Subscript>B<Subscript>13</Subscript>Nb<Subscript>4</Subscript>TM<Subscript>1 </Subscript>melt-spun ribbons

Crystallization and magnetic behavior of melt-spun Fe₆₂Co₁₀Si₁₀B₁₃Nb₄TM₁ amorphous ribbon where TM = Ni, Cr, V, Pd, Pt, Ti, Ta and Zr were examined. The alloy with Pt as transition metal showed the lowest crystallization temperature of 823 K among the studied alloys. Significant increase in crystallization temperature was observed when the atomic radius of the substituted transition metal was varied from that of Pt. High Curie temperature and high saturation magnetization were recognized for the alloys containing Pd, Pt or Ti. The amorphous alloys except the alloys containing Ti or V showed good soft magnetic properties.     

Electrical contacts on photoconductive Sb2S3 films

Evaporated metal contacts to layers of deposited Sb₂S₃ 1 μm thick have been investigated. It has been found that Ni, Au and Pt make blocking contacts while contacts of In, Ga, Al and Bi are ohmic. Cu, Ag and Pd contacts show poor stability and have a very low breakdown voltage; they are not considered to be suitable contact materials. If Al is used care must be taken to avoid the formation of a layer of Al₂O₃ between the Al and the Sb₂S₃ which will result in a blocking contact. Au makes a very reproducible and reliable contact capable of withstanding fields up to about 6 x 10⁵ V/ cm.The type of contact made by any of these metals depends on the work function of the metal. The low work function metals In and Ga make the best ohmic contacts. The high work function metals Pt and Au make good blocking contacts. The results can be explained in terms of the conventional theory of contacts if the Sb₂S₃ layer is assumed to be n-type with a low density of surface states. On this basis it is expected that the work function of Sb₂S₃ lies in the range 4.7–4.9 eV.     

Surface and interface morphology of CoSi2 films formed by multilayer solid-state reaction

CoSi₂ is a promising material for self-aligned silicide (salicide) applications in sub-0.25 μm complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) technology. In conventional salicide technology, silicides are formed by a solid-state reaction (SSR) after source/drain formation. With the continued scaling down of junction depths, surface and interface roughness of silicides is a growing concern. In this work, a comparative study has been made to investigate the morphology and thermal stability of CoSi₂ formed by SSR of different structures, i.e. Co/Si, TiN/Co/Si, Ti/Co/Si, Co/Ti/Si and Ti/Co/Ti/Si. Atomic force microscopy and other techniques were used to characterize the morphology and thermal stability. Compared with the Co/Si reaction, TiN or Ti capping reduces the roughness and improves the thermal stability. The reaction with a Ti interfacial layer shows epitaxial growth of CoSi₂ on Si (100). The morphology and thermal stability of epitaxial CoSi₂ were significantly improved. The epitaxial CoSi₂ may be useful for contact in deep submicrometer CMOS devices.     

Microstructure evolution and development of annealed Ni/Au contacts to GaN nanowires

The development of Ni/Au contacts to Mg-doped GaN nanowires (NWs) is examined. Unlike Ni/Au contacts to planar GaN, current-voltage (I-V) measurements of Mg-doped nanowire devices frequently exhibit a strong degradation after annealing in N(2)/O(2). This degradation originates from the poor wetting behavior of Ni and Au on SiO(2) and the excessive void formation that occurs at the metal/NW and metal/oxide interfaces. The void formation can cause cracking and delamination of the metal film as well as reduce the contact area at the metal/NW interface, which increases the resistance. The morphology and composition of the annealed Ni/Au contacts on SiO(2) and the p-GaN films were investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and x-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements. Adhesion experiments were performed in order to determine the degree of adhesion of the Ni/Au films to the SiO(2) as well as observe and analyze the morphology of the film's underside by SEM. Device degradation from annealing was prevented through the use of a specific adhesion layer of Ti/Al/Ni deposited prior to the nanowire dispersal and Ni/Au deposition. I-V measurements of NW devices fabricated using this adhesion layer showed a decrease in resistance after annealing, whereas all others showed an increase in resistance. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) on a cross-section of a NW with Ni/Au contacts and a Ti/Al/Ni adhesion layer showed a lack of void formation at the contact/NW interface. Results of the XRD and TEM analysis of the NW contact structure using a Ti/Al/Ni adhesion layer suggests Al alloying of the Ni/Au contact increases the adhesion and stability of the metal film as well as prevents excessive void formation at the contact/NW interface.     

ZnO上欧姆接触的研究进展

为制备高性能的ZnO基器件如UV光发射器，探测器、场效应晶体管，在ZnO上形成优良的金属电极是十分必要的。回顾了近年来ZnO上制备欧姆接触的新进展，对在n型ZnO上制备欧姆接触的Al，A1/Pt，A1/Au，Ti/Al，Ti，AU，Ti/A1/Pt/Au，Re/Ti/Au等金属化方案的性能与特点，以及影响欧姆接触电阻率和热稳定性的因素，如表面处理和退火等进行了分析与归纳。同时，对P型ZnO上难以获得低接触电阻的原因进行了讨论。文章还简要说明了ZnO上透明欧姆接触的研究现状，指出获得低阻、高导电、高透光和高热稳定性的接触是未来ZnO基光电器件的发展方向。     

Effects of stress on the interfacial reactions of metal thin films on (0 0 1)Si

The influences of stress on the interfacial reactions of Ti and Ni metal thin films on (0 0 1)Si have been investigated. Compressive stress present in the silicon substrate was found to retard significantly the growth of Ti and Ni silicide thin films. On the other hand, the tensile stress present in the silicon substrate was found to enhance the formation of Ti and Ni silicides. For Ti and Ni on stressed (0 0 1)Si substrates after rapid thermal annealing, the thicknesses of TiSi₂ and NiSi films were found to decrease and increase with the compressive and tensile stress level, respectively. The results clearly indicated that the compressive stress hinders the interdiffusion of atoms through the metal/Si interface, so that the formation of metal silicide films was retarded. In contrast, tensile stress facilitates the interdiffusion of atoms. As a result, the growth of Ti and Ni silicide is promoted.     

Interactions between transition metals and defective carbon nanotubes

Interactions between 3d transition-metal atoms (Sc, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn) and (5,5) carbon nanotube (CNT) with a vacancy defect are quantitatively characterized using first-principles calculations. The binding energies between CNT and transition metals are found to be significantly enhanced when vacancy defects are introduced into the CNT. For the defective CNTs doped with Sc, Cr and Zn atoms, the structures of defective CNTs are found to be intact. The doping of Ti, Mn, Cu, Fe, Ni and Co alternates the structures of defective CNTs. Among all 3d transition metals, only the ferromagnetic metal atoms Fe, Co and Ni form bonds with carbon atoms of CNT, suggesting the important role of magnetic exchange interaction in the p–d hybridisation between carbons and transition-metal atoms. The results also indicate that the 3d transition-metal atoms acting as substitutional defects can substantially modify the electronic structure of CNT. It is suggested that these stable CNT-metal systems could become promising engineering materials in many fields such as CNT devices for various spintronics applications and CNT metal–matrix composites.     

Enhanced formation of low-resistivity TiSi2 contacts for deep submicron devices

Low resistivity C54-TiSi₂ is currently the most commonly used silicide for metal contacts in ultralarge scale integrated circuits devices. In the present paper, we review recent results of investigations on the effects of stress and high temperature sputtering on the formation of C54-TiSi₂. Enhanced formation of C54-TiSi₂ on (001)Si by tensile stress and high temperature sputtering is correlated to the growth of thicker amorphous interlayer at the Ti/(001)Si interface. The enhanced transformation is attributed to the presence of higher density of silicide crystallites, which serve as the nucleation sites for the C49-TiSi₂, in the amorphous layer. As a result, the average grain size of C49-TiSi₂ is smaller which leads to lower C49- to C54-TiSi₂ transformation temperature.