Rotating Disk Reactors used for Metalorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition have evolved into a leading manufacturing technology for several materials, including nitrides, compound semiconductors, metals, and oxides. One of the major issues to be resolved in bringing this technology into routine high yield manufacturing has been precise and repeatable wafer temperature measurement and control. The conventional approach to the rotating wafer temperature measurements by a stationary thermocouple located near the rotating wafer carrier suffers from low accuracy and repeatability. We have implemented a rotating thermocouple with a junction located close to the wafer for the temperature measurements in the MOCVD Rotating Disk Reactor. This approach allowed us to obtain reliable and accurate wafer temperature measurements with minimum dependence upon variable process parameters and to protect the thermocouple from degradation in the aggressive reactor environment. The temperature difference between wafer and thermocouple for the rotating and stationary thermocouple designs as a function of process parameters will be discussed.

detailed study was carried out in investigating the chemical reaction scheme involved with the deposition of a-SiC:H films by carbosilane sources in a remote hydrogen plasma. As the carbosilane sources, tetramethylsilane (TMS), hexamethyldisilane (HMDS) and tetrakis(trimethylsilyl)silane (TMSS) were used. Depositions were performed in the presence and absence of both UV radiation and H radicals. UV radiation activates only the TMS molecules out of the above three types of molecules in depositing a-SiC:H films. Other two monomers are seen to be activated by hydrogen radicals. It is proposed that the most susceptible bond to be broken at first by hydrogen radical is the Si-Si bond. A reaction model for the formation of a- SiC:H films was presented by considering the Me2Si=CH2 as the film forming precursor.

Surface photoabsorption (SPA) has been applied to monitor, in real time, the surface of GaAs(100) during chemical dry etching by a molecular beam of HCl. Changes in the HCl flux to the surface at a constant temperature (840 K) have been used to induce changes in the Ga:As ratio on the surface. These changes in surface stoichiometry have been detected in situ via SPA measurements of the transient fractional change in the reflectance of p-polarized, 488 nm light that is incident onto the surface near the pseudo-Brewster angle. On the basis of results from prior applications of SPA to the study the atomic layer deposition of GaAs, the changes in the SPA signal as a function of the etching parameters can be correlated with changes in the relative surface densities of Ga and As. The findings are confirmed by independent determinations of the changes in surface stoichiometry made by measuring the time-integrated difference in the fluxes of Ga- and As-containing etching products evolved from the surface as a function of the HC1 flux.

The evolution of the surface topography during the phase transformations of titanium silicide has been studied using elastic light scattering at two different collection angles. The light scattering measurements were performed simultaneously with x-ray diffraction and resistance measurements for titanium films deposited on either Si(100) or on poly-silicon substrates. At selected points during annealing, the samples were cooled rapidly to room temperature and analyzed ex situ using Nomarski microscopy. We find that, depending on the detection geometry, the in situ light scattering shows preferentially the formation of the C49 or C54 TiSi2 phase as well as differentiates between inversion and agglomeration on poly-silicon substrates.

Near field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) is a recent technique where a tapered single-mode optical fiber probe is scanned over a sample surface at a height of a fraction of the wavelength. The tapered fiber provides a tiny aperture (a, ˜ 70nm) through which light is coupled and can yield resolutions as high as ˜, λ/40. We have used both room and low-temperature NSOM to study the local spectroscopic characteristics of a wide variety of material systems, from quantum dots and wires, to ordered GaInP, to heterojunctions and optoelectronic devices.

Low temperature near-field photoluminescence spectroscopy was used to study spectral emission maps of a set of samples of GaInP epilayers with varying degrees of ordering. The samples exhibit two peaks, a low energy (LE) and a high energy (HE) peak. Our data are inconsistent with expectations that the LE peak is due to emission from domain boundaries and alternative models will be discussed. NSOM spectral maps can yield information about the spatial dependence of the local optical matrix elements. NSOM data on the emission mode structure of strained (In, Ga)As quantum well lasers has yielded new information on the source kinks in the light response at high currents, while local photocurrent spectroscopy using the tip as a point source of photons provides analysis of the semiconductor layer composition.

A Near Field Scanning Optical Microscope (NSOM) with spectroscopic capability is applied to imaging semiconductor and microelectronic structures. NSOM combined with spectroscopic analysis provides physical and chemical information of thin films and defects with ultra high spatial resolution. We have studied epitaxial and bulk samples and partially fabricated SiO2/Si CMOS structures to investigate the spatial resolution and imaging modes of NSOM. Reflected intensity contrast in NSOM yields images of defect networks in InGaAs/InAlAs/GaAs epitaxial layers and shows thickness variations in SiO2 films on Si. Surface topological changes observed in NSOM demonstrate a spatial resolution of significantly better than 0.25 μm. Fluorescence imaging is examined for chemically identifying materials and defects.

A contactless high spatial resolution technique has been developed to characterize semiconductor materials using the Near-Field Scanning Optical Microscope. The technique can be used to non-invasively measure: surface topography, defect content, and carrier lifetime variations in silicon. The success of the technique relies on the sensitive detection of changes in infrared transmission induced by local generation of free carriers using pulsed visible radiation. Here we extend the application of this technique to characterize silicon on insulator materials. We also include computer simulation results to address the role played by diffusion in the ultimate lateral resolution that can be achieved using this technique.

The polycrystalline silicon films were deposited by electron cyclotron resonance chemical vapor deposition (ECR-CVD) with hydrogen dilution at 250°C and without any thermal annealing. The surface morphology and the microstructure of the poly-Si films are investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM), plan-view transmission electron microscopy (TEM), crosssectional TEM and high resolution TEM (HRTEM). The low temperature poly-Si films deposited by ECR-CVD show a special leaf-like grain shape (plan-view) and an upside-down cone shape (3-dimensional view). The grains in the poly-Si films have preferred orientation of <112> and the longer side of the leaf-like grain is direction and the shorter side is direction. Lattice bending and interruption are found in the films. The arrangement of the atoms on the grains are well ordered, while atoms in the interfacial regions are randomly distributed. A simple grain formation model based on growth rate differences between different planes and etching effect can explain the film growth mechanism and the formation of the special grain geometry.

We have tested the application of a recently developed probe tip reconstruction method to AFM images from semiconductor surfaces. The method by Villarrubia is the first to enable the construction of a probe tip from the AFM measurements alone. Here is a summary on how this method can be implemented. Experience shows that for some real surface data, experimental noise prevents the reconstruction of realistic tips. Therefore we present some preliminary results of how noise reduction methods applied to the measurements can provide access to more realistic tip shapes which are the basis for a useful image reconstruction.

The etch rates of InGaP, AlInP and AlGaP increases dramatically with microwave power in ECR BCl3- or CH4/H2-based discharges, reaching values near 1μm·min−1 at 1000W, The surface morphologies of these materials however behave much differently as the microwave power is increased. For BCl3 etching of InGaP the surface RMS roughness decreases from 36nm at 250W to 2nm at 1000W. For AlInP, there is little change in surface morphology, whereas for the common binary component of these two materials, InP, the surface becomes very rough at high powers (>60nm RMS). By contrast, the morphologies of the three ternaries remain smooth over a wide range of conditions with CH4/H2/Ar. The AFM analysis, coupled with AES enables us to understand these different responses in terms of volatility of the respective chloride, metalorganic and hydride etch products.

Scanning Polarization Force Microscopy, a recently developed non-contact imaging technique, is employed for the study of sulfuric acid induced aluminum corrosion. The morphological changes occurring during the corrosion of aluminum by sulfuric acid droplets were imaged in situ with nanometer resolution using Scanning Polarization Force Microscopy. The results of these experiments not only demonstrate the potential applications of SPFM in imaging liquid surfaces and weakly adsorbed species, they also offer new insights into the mechanisms of atmospheric corrosion.

We have developed a novel fine-positioning device for scanned-probe microscopies. Instead of the conventional scanner tube made of ceramic PZT material, we have constructed analogous structures from single-crystal piezoelectric wafers. Single-crystal materials, in particular Lithium Niobate, are available which solve many of the problems inherent with PZT. In addition, their superior thermal and mechanical properties lead to improved performance in a number of significant ways. We discuss the actual implementation of this idea in the construction of a scanner, possible applications for this design, and briefly discuss results obtained.

Photoreflectance (PR) is a powerful, contactless, and nondestructive technique capable of probing interband electronic transitions and built-in electric-fields at the surface and in interface regions in semiconductor materials and microstructures. It has been widely used as a characterization tool. However, its application to highly luminescent systems, such as quantum-well (QW) lasers and samples with poor surface morphology has been limited because of the difficulty in minimizing the interference from the luminescence and the pump beam that is scattered from the surface. We present a double modulation procedure where both the probe and pump beams are modulated which allows the PR component to be completely separated from the luminescence and scattered contributions. The separation is achieved through the appropriate choice of modulation frequencies and specially designed tuned amplifiers. A complete PR system, along with the necessary circuits, is presented. In addition, we have also exploited the freedom provided by the system to choose any pump wavelength to selectively modulate specific regions of the multilayer structure (QW, barrier, and cladding layer) and extract detailed information regarding the properties of each layer. The applicability of the procedure is demonstrated by fully characterizing a GaInP based QW laser structure used for visible emitters and by measurements on a saw-cut and chemically etched back surface of a commercial GaAs wafer. Finally, procedures attempted in the past to overcome difficulties with the luminescence and surface scattering are discussed and compared to the double modulation PR technique.

Using contactless electroreflectance at 300K we have characterized the complete potential profile of a pseudomorphic 0.98 μm InGaAs/GaAs/GaAlAs graded index of refraction separate confinement heterostructure laser fabricated by molecular beam epitaxy. Signals were detected from all three relevant portions of the sample. Comparison of the observed transitions from the InGaAs single quantum well (SQW) section with an envelope function calculation (including the effects of strain) made it possible to evaluate the In composition and width of SQW. These values were in good agreement with the intended parameters. The energy of 11H, the fundamental conduction to heavy-hole level (which is closely related to the lasing frequency) can easily be determined to less than ± 1 nm at 300K. From the period of the observed Franz-Keldysh oscillations from the graded GaAlAs region it was possible to directly evaluate the built-in electric field in the structure.

Discrete Fourier transform (DFr) techniques have been applied to the analysis of the Franz-Keldysh oscillations used in determining electric fields. It is shown that the DFT can be applied to a wide range of EM line shapes and that it can yield accurate results for the electric fields in the case where one field is present in the sample. For cases where there are contributions to the EM spectrum from either two electric fields or two degenerate transitions, such as excitations originating from light- and heavy-hole valence bands, care must be applied in extracting the field from the lower intensity DF” peak. The window used to obtain the DFT influences the peak position of lower intensity DFT peak and thus can lead to spurious shifts of the line.

Photoreflectance spectroscopy (PR) and spectral ellipsometry (SE) have been used to characterize the doping and structure of heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBT). This information provides a more complete description of the epitaxial HBT structure than is possible by relying solely on electrical characterization of specially processed test structures. Additional benefit is derived from the nondestructive nature of both SE and PR. The measurements are fast enough to be implemented on all production-bound HBT material. We describe our recent results comparing capacitance-voltage measurements with PRderived doping levels in the emitter layer of the HBT. We also describe some work comparing SE fit results with Auger electron spectroscopy depth profiles for InGaAs contact layer composition and thickness.

Photoreflectance (PR) modulation spectroscopy is a widely used optical technique on GaAs but it has been applied much more rarely on InP being an equally important optoelectronic compound semiconductor. Typical PR spectral lineshapes in the fundamental gap region of various InP materials are investigated. Spectral components such as Franz-Keldysh oscillations, lowfield features, and epilayer interference phenomena are analyzed. Current applications concern the determination of the surface electric field, investigations of ion etching and hydrogenation processing, and the characterization of homo- and strained heteroepitaxial layers by means of synchronous phase and complex fitting analysis.

Conduction intersubband transitions between the ground and first excited states in Al0.3Ga0.7As/GaAs multiple quantum wells (MQWs) are studied as a function of the twodimensional electron gas density (0.75 × 1012 ≤ σ ≤ 3.75 × 1012 cm−2) and temperature (5 ≤ T ≤ 300 K). There is no electron tunneling between the wells and well regions are uniformly doped with silicon donors. Theoretically, we have solved the Schrödinger equation containing the self-consistent Hartree potential, in which the z-dependencies of both electron effective mass and dielectric constant, as well as the non-parabolicity in the conduction energy subband dispersion have been taken into consideration. By applying many-body theory which includes the depolarization-shift from a collective dipole moment and the excitonicshift from the negative exchange interaction, we calculate the absorption spectrum as a function of the incident photon energy hw for different values of T and σ. From this, we can quantitatively analyze both T- and σ-dependencies of the peak position and the full width at half-maximum (FWHM) of peak values. The blue-shift or red-shift in the absorption peak position are quantitatively reproduced as either T or σ is reduced. The exchange interaction which depends on σ, will modify the energy subband dispersion. Therefore, the absorption peak will be broadened by the exchange interaction. The T-dependence of broadening from the optical-phonon scattering is also taken into account by a phenomenological model. From the calculated absorption spectrum as a function of o, we have successfully reproduced and explained the σ-dependence of FWHM measured in recent experiments.

We have investigated the influence of the deposition of a passivating silicon nitride layer on the electron transport in InAlAs/InGaAs/InAlAs quantum wells capped with a thin InGaAs layer. This structure is grown by Molecure Beam Epitaxy lattice-matched on InP substrates for the fabrication of High Electron Mobility Transistors. The InGaAs cap layer is added to reduce the ohmic contact resistance. In a first step to illuminate the complicated structural changes involved when passivating fully processed devices, we studied the influence of silicon nitride layer deposition on the virgin epilayers. The electrical transport properties were characterised by resistance, mobility, carrier concentration and magnetoresistance measurements, while Raman spectroscopy was used to probe the vibrational properties which are influenced by the free carriers. Because of the small penetration depth of the laser light mainly the lattice vibrations in the InGaAs ohmic contact layer were observed in the Raman spectra. Before passivation this thin highly doped cap layer is depleted, as confirmed by magnetoresistance measurements, that show a single conducting path in the two-dimensional electron gas formed in the InAlAs/InGaAs/InAlAs QW, and only bulk-like InGaAs phonons are observed in the cap layer. After passivation a shift to lower frequencies of the GaAs-like mode indicates a high electron concentration in the InGaAs cap. The results of the Raman analysis are in good agreement with the electrical transport data that show a considerably lower resistance after passivation. Magnetoresistance measurements on passivated layers confirmed the creation of an additional conducting path in the InGaAs cap layer introduced by the silicon nitride deposition process.