Diffusion in Solids

Ferrous iron diffusion in ferro-periclase across the spin transition

by Michael Ammann

DFT study of migration enthalpies in MgSiO3 perovskite

by Michael Ammann

Diffusion of aluminium in MgO from first principles

by Michael Ammann

Epitaxy and chemical reactions during thin-film formation from low-energy ions: new kinetic pathways, new phases, and new properties

by Nicole Herbots

Nicole Herbots, O.C. Hellman
ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY, Departmentof PhysicsandAstronomy, Tempe AZ 85287
0. Vancauwenberghe* MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OFTECHNOLOGY, DepartmentofMaterialsScience & Engineering,Cambridge, MA 02139

Ref: Mat. Res. Soc. Symp. Proc. Vol. 235. pp. 749-762 (1992)

ABSTRACT
Three important effects of low energy direct Ion Beam Deposition (IBD) are the athermal incorporation of... more ABSTRACT
Three important effects of low energy direct Ion Beam Deposition (IBD) are the athermal incorporation of material into a substrate, the enhancement of atomic mobility in the subsurface, and the modification of growth kinetics it creates. All lead to a significant lowering of the temperature necessary to induce epitaxial growth and chemical reactions. The fundamental understanding and new applications of low temperature kinetics induced by low energy ions in thin film growth and surface processing of semiconductors are reviewed. It is shown that the mechanism of IBD growth can be understood and computed quantitatively using a simple model including ion induced defect generation and sputtering, elastic recombination, thermal diffusion, chemical reactivity, and desorption. The energy, temperature and dose dependence of growth rate, epitaxy, and chemical reaction during IBD is found to be controlled by the net recombination rate of interstitials at the surface in the case of epitaxy and unreacted films, and by the balance between ion beam decomposition and phase formation induced by ion beam generated defects in the case of compound thin films. Recent systematic experiments on the formation of oxides and nitrides on Si, Ge/Si(100), heteroepitaxial SixGe1−x/Si(100) and GaAs(lOO) illustrate applications of this mechanism using IBD in the form of Ion Beam Nitridation (IBN), Ion Beam Oxidation (IBO) and Combined Ion and Molecular beam Deposition (CIMD). It is shown that these techniques enable (1) the formation of conventional phases in conditions never used before, (2) the control and creation of properties via new degrees of freedom such as ion energy and lowered substrate temperatures, and (3) the formation of new metastable heterostructures that cannot be grown by pure thermal means.

Kinetics of formation and properties of silicon and silicon-germanium-alloy-based insulators grown using low-energy ion beam nitridation

by Nicole Herbots

RBS STUDY OF THE EFFECT OF ARSENIC AND PHOSPHORUS INTERFACIAL SEGREGATION UPON THE SINTERING OF CONTACTS BETWEEN IMPLANTED POLYCRYSTALLINE SILICON AND ALUMINUM -SILICON(1%)

by Nicole Herbots

Nicole HERBOTS *, Maurice LOBET and Femand Van de WIELE
Microekxtronics Lab, Uniwrsite Catholique de Lmamin, 3, place du Levant. B - 1348 Louvain -la - Neuve, Belgium
Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B7/8 (1985) 278-286 North-Holland, Amsterdam

The sintering behavior of the interface between Al :Si(l%) alloy and polycrystalline Si (poly-Si) was studied as a... more The sintering behavior of the interface between Al :Si(l%) alloy and polycrystalline Si (poly-Si) was studied as a function of the poly-Si implantation dose by combining RBS, SEM, TEM and X-ray microanalysis. Two different N-dopants were used: arsenic and phosphorus. The dopants were implanted in the poly-Si layer and thermal annealing was used to obtain dopant segregation towards the poly-Si interfacea.
After sir&ring, two main effects were detected: (1) Al-Si eutectic phase precipitates and Si crystallites are formed at the interface. (2) The density of precipitates is a function of the implantation dose. For doses above 1 x lOI5 at./cm2. segregated arsenic and phosphorus are found to completely inhibit this precipitation process, provided that the segregation peak of the dopant profile is preserved before metallization.
Several conclusions can be drawn: for surface concentrations higher than 8~10’~ at./cm3, arsenic and phosphorus inhibit the precipitation of the Al-Si eutectic phase, and thus inhibit interactions between the films at the interface. Moreover, argon gas, usedfor sputtering deposition of aluminum, segregated at the poly-Si/Al: Si(l%) interface and may also inhibit the metal-semiconductor interdiffusion.

COMPARATIVE-STUDY OF NB AND TIW BARRIER LAYERS BETWEEN AU AND A-SIO2

by Nicole Herbots

M. Liehr, J. P. Delrue, and R. Caudano
Laboratoire de Spectroscopie Electronique IRIS, FNDP, B5000 Namur, Belgium
N. Herbotsa) Laboratoire de Microelectronique, F AI-UCL, BJ348 Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium
R. A. L. Vanden Berghe, R. Vlaeminck, and H. Loos
Bell Telephone Mfg. Co., B9000 Gent, Belgium

J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 2 (2), Apr.-June 1984, p.288

The performance ofTi.3W.7 and Nb thin films as diffusion barriers for Au was investigated by Rutherford backscattering... more The performance ofTi.3W.7 and Nb thin films as diffusion barriers for Au was investigated by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) and Auger electron spectroscopy (AES). The films were sputter deposited in Ar:N2 (70:30 vol%) or pure Ar on amorphous Si02. They were annealed in air at temperatures ranging from 250·C up to 750·C for several hours. In-depth profiles revealed an onset of oxidation of the barriers at 520·C for Nb and 600·C for TiW. Barrier oxidation and extensive diffusion could be correlated. Distinct diffusion behavior as a function of temperature was established between TiW and Nb. A Nb multilayer structure was found to provide the best reliability as the barrier and as the adhesion layer.

Atomic collisions, elastic recombination, and thermal diffusion during thin-film growth from low-energy ion beams

by Nicole Herbots

N. Herbots *, 0. Vancauwenberghe **, O.C. Hellman + and Y.C. Joo ++
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA

Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Section B: Beam Interactions with Materials and Atoms
Volumes 59-60, Part 1, 1 July 1991, Pages 326-331
doi:10.1016/0168-583X(91)95233-4 |

Low-energy (< 1 keV) ions are used in a variety of thin-film techniques. When low-energy ions are used during... more Low-energy (< 1 keV) ions are used in a variety of thin-film techniques. When low-energy ions are used during growth, the atomic mobility is athermally enhanced. This can lead to a significant lowering of the temperature necessary to induce epitaxial growth and chemical reactions. Athermal enhancement of atomic mobility in semiconductors can be described below the temperature for plastic deformation (T = 540-degrees-C in Si) by classifying the mechanisms involved into three categories according to their respective timescale: collisions, elastic recombination, and thermal diffusion. A quantitative model can then be derived to predict the conditions of temperature, dose rate, and energy to obtain thin film growth, and oxidation in techniques such as ion beam deposition (IBD), and ion beam oxidation (IBO). Using computer simulations, the dynamics of defect generation and redistribution, and the resulting thin-film growth rate can be investigated. Energies below 200 eV are found not only to minimize damage and sputtering, but also create defect distributions that favor surface recombination and hence growth. This elucidates the mechanism of thin-film formation with high atomic density, oxidation with a sharp inteface with the substrate and epitaxial growth, and experimental findings on the energy dependence of IBD and IBO.

A quantitative model of point defect diffusivity and recombination in ion beam deposition and combined ion and molecular deposition

by Nicole Herbots

O. Vancauwenberghe, N. Herbots, and O. C. Hellman MassachusettsInstituteo/Technology, 77MassachusettsAvenue. Cambridge. jWassachusetts02139
(Received 18 October 1990; accepted 12 February 1991)
J. Vac. Sci. Techno!. B 9 (4), JullAug 1991, p.2027-2033 0134-211X/911042027-07$01.00 @ 1991 American Vacuum Society 2027

We are investigating the use of low energy ions (< 1 keV) in low temperature thin film growth techniques, ion beam... more We are investigating the use of low energy ions (< 1 keV) in low temperature thin film growth techniques, ion beam deposition (IBD) and combined ion and molecular deposition (CIMD). In IBD, a thin film is directly grown from a low energy ion beam as the only source of material, while in CIMD, low temperature growth of thin films is achieved by depositing materials simultaneously from a low energy ion beam and one or several molecular beams. A simple model of the IBD process has been developed and accounts for atomic collisions and thermal diffusion during thin film growth. Computer simulation of IBD of Si on Si have been conducted as a function of ion energy to support more quantitatively this physical description of IBD. The results show that the IBD growth mechanism is mediated by the fast diffusing interstitials and establish a low energy limit to achieve epitaxial growth by IBD that depends on the point defect diffusivities. The defect generation has to be confined in the subsurface region in order to favor interstitial recombination with the surface, leading to net thin film growth, and vacancy annihilation to prevent amorphization. The effect of point defect diffusivities on the IBD growth process is also investigated. It is found that a model including fast moving interstitials can account for various experimental observations specific to IBD.

ATOMIC TRANSPORT KINETICS ACROSS Al/Si INTERFACES

by Nicole Herbots

Sorption and diffusion of carbon dioxide in wood‐fiber/polystyrene composites

by Saeed Doroudiani