The preparation of ferroelectric lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin films by rapid thermal processing (RTP) is reported. The films were deposited by chemical sol gel and physical sputter techniques. The heating rate of RTP was found to have significant influence on the crystallization behavior. Faster heating rates lead to lowering of the crystallization temperature and reduction of grain size. PZT films were obtained with dielectric constants ~ 1000, remanent polarizations between 20 and 30μC/cm2, coercive fields 20 to 60kV/cm, and no significant fatigue for 109 to 1010 stressing cycles.

Ferroelectric Pb(Zr0.52Ti0.48)O3 or PZT (52/48) thin-films (0.5 μm) were integrated onto Pt passivated Si wafers (3–4 inches) by polymeric solgel processing followed by rapid thermal annealing. Dense and crack-free perovskite microstructures were obtained by densification of the amorphous gel-matrix prior to crystallization. The films exhibited submicron grains (0.2–0.6 μm) with a columnar growth habit. High field measurements on thin-films determined Pr, Psp, and Ec in the ranges of 29–32 μC/cm2. 44–58 μC/cm2, and 50–60 kV/cm, respectively, and ferroelectric switching times below 3 ns.

An ultra-shallow poly-silicon emitter formed by different heat treatments including RTA of an evaporated, antimony doped, poly-silicon structure is presented. The fabrication process together with electrical characterizations, resistivity measurements and SIMS analysis are given. Especially, the impact of RTA treatment on the electrical characteristics of these emitter structures is investigated. Also, the IV and Gummel characteristics of a bipolar transistor with this type of poly-silicon emitter is given.

The 193 nm output of an ArF excimer laser has been used to selectively photodissociate Si2H6 to deposit homoepitaxial Si films in the temperature range of 250°C to 350°C. Photolytic decomposition of Si2H6 results in the generation and adsorption of growth precursors on a hydrogenated Si surface. A simple growth kinetic model has been developed based on the most likely primary photofragments upon single-photon absorption by Si2H6 at the ArF excimer laser wavelength of 193 nm, and gas kinetic transport of the resulting photofragments to the substrate surface. Growth rates are observed to vary linearly with laser beam power and Si2H6 partial pressure when the laser beam is tangentially positioned less than 0.5 mm from the Si substrate for Si2H6 partial pressures less than 40 mTorr, total chamber pressures of 600 mTorr, and laser beam photon flux densities less than 2×1016 photons/cm2.pulse. Under these conditions, gas-phase diffusion dominates over chemical reaction rates and laser beam absorption is in the optically thin limit. The model then reduces to a simple form that predicts a linear dependence of growth rate on Si2H6 partial pressure and gives an accurate estimate of the expected growth rate. The epitaxial films are specular, and appear to have very low defect density in terms of stacking faults, as determined by modified Schimmel etching and Nomarski microscopy, and dislocation loops as determined by TEM (less than 105 loops/cm2). The crystallinity has been confirmed both by in situ RHEED, where we see a (l×l) streaky pattern, as well as selected electron diffraction, which shows a (100) crystalline orientation.

Lateral non-uniformities can be expected in the dopant diffusion front in the substrate in polysilicon-on-single crystal Si systems upon Rapid Thermal Annealing (RTA), because the grain boundaries in polysilicon act as fast diffusant pipelines and also possibly inject defects into the substrate, which can locally enhance diffusivities in the substrate due to dopant-point defect interactions. The lateral uniformity of As, B and P ultra-shallow junctions formed in the substrate by indiffusion from as-deposited amorphous or polysilicon films has been studied using concentration dependent etching and transmission electron microscopy. Due to a larger final grain size after annealing in the case of as-deposited amorphous Si films compared to asdeposited polysilicon films, there is significant lateral doping inhomogeneities in the diffusion front. However, the doping inhomogeneities are gradually smeared out as the impurities diffuse deeper into the substrate due to lateral as well as vertical diffusion.