Defect Characterization of ALD Grown SiO2 Films: A Systematic Approach

Abstract

Systematic studies of plasma activated-ALD SiO2 films have been done to investigate the formation and origin of charge defects in the oxide films, and the effects of post anneal treatments. Capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements were done to extract information on interface trapped/fixed charge and bulk oxide trap charge formation as a function of process temperature, pressure and post annealing treatments. The results from these studies show that interface trap charge formation is controlled by both temperature and plasma conditions, while bulk oxide trap charge formation is controlled dominantly by plasma conditions. The post annealing treatment however, removes or reduces the concentration of these defects.