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Characterization of Compositional Gradients in Amorphous Semiconductor thin Films By Real Time Spectroscopic Ellipsometry

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2011

Sangbo Kim
Affiliation:
Materials Research Laboratory and the Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802.
Yiwei Lu
Affiliation:
Materials Research Laboratory and the Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802.
R. W. Collins
Affiliation:
Materials Research Laboratory and the Department of Physics, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802.
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Abstract

A new approach has been developed for the analysis of real time spectroscopie ellipsometry (RTSE) data that has important applications in characterizing compositionally-graded layers in amorphous semiconductor devices. The new RTSE data analysis approach determines (i) the instantaneous deposition rate, (ii) the surface roughness layer thickness, and (iii) the dielectric function of the near-surface layer (top 20 Å) of the growing film, all without any knowledge of the deposition history. We tested this new approach by characterizing a-Si1-xCx:H (x ∼ 0.09) alloy films with continuously graded void volume fractions. The results reported here are unique in that they represent the first successful optical analysis of amorphous semiconductor structures having continuously varying properties with depth into the film.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1995

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References

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