Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-gb8f7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T20:25:11.058Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Real-space strain mapping of SOI features using microbeam X-ray diffraction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 February 2012

Conal E. Murray*
Affiliation:
IBM T.J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, New York 10598
S. M. Polvino
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Physics and Mathematics, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027
I. C. Noyan
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Physics and Mathematics, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027
B. Lai
Affiliation:
Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439
Z. Cai
Affiliation:
Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439
*
a)Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Electronic mail: [email protected]

Abstract

Synchrotron-based X-ray microbeam measurements were performed on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) features strained by adjacent shallow-trench isolation (STI). Strain engineering in microelectronic technology represents an important aspect of the enhancement in complementary metal-oxide semiconductor device performance. Because of the complexity of the composite geometry associated with microelectronic circuitry, characterization of the strained Si devices at a submicron resolution is necessary to verify the expected strain distributions. The interaction region of the SOI strain extended the SOI film thickness from the STI edge at least 25 times. Regions of 65-nm-thick SOI less than 3 μm wide exhibited an overlap in the strain fields because of the surrounding STI. Microbeam mapping of arrays containing submicron SOI features and embedded STI structures revealed the largest out-of-plane strains because of the close proximity of superimposed strain distributions induced by the STI.

Type
X-Ray Diffraction
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Colman, D., Bate, R. T., and Mize, J. P. (1968). “Mobility anisotropy and piezoresistance in silicon p-type inversion layers,” J. Appl. Phys. JAPIAU 10.1063/1.1656464 39, 19231931.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davies, J. H. (2003). “Elastic field in a semi-infinite solid due to thermal expansion or a coherently misfitting inclusion,” J. Appl. Mech. JAMCAV 10.1115/1.1602481 70, 655660.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ito, S., Namba, H., Hirata, T., Ando, K., Koyama, S., Ikezawa, N., Suzuki, T., Saitoh, T., and Horiuchi, T. (2002). “Effect of mechanical stress induced by etch-stop nitride: Impact on deep-submicron transistor performance,” Microelectron. Reliab. MCRLAS 10.1016/S0026-2714(01)00238-4 42, 201209.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mindlin, R. D. and Cheng, D. H. (1950). “Thermoelastic stress in the semi-infinite solid,” J. Appl. Phys. JAPIAU 10.1063/1.1699786 21, 931933.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murray, C. E., Yan, H. -F., Noyan, I. C., Cai, Z., and Lai, B. (2005). “High-resolution strain mapping in heteroepitaxial thin-film features,” J. Appl. Phys. JAPIAU 10.1063/1.1938277 98, 013504-1013504-9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murray, C. E., Sankarapandian, M., Polvino, S. M., Noyan, I. C., Lai, B., and Cai, Z. (2007). “Submicron mapping of strained silicon-on-insulator features induced,” Appl. Phys. Lett. APPLAB 10.1063/1.2732180 90, 171919-1171919-3.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rim, K., Hoyt, J. L., and Gibbons, J. F. (2000). “Fabrication and analysis of deep submicron strained-Si n-MOSFET’s,” IEEE Trans. Electron Devices IETDAI 10.1109/16.848284 47, 14061415.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, C. S. (1954). “Piezoresistance effect in germanium and silicon,” IEEE Electron Device Lett. EDLEDZ 94, 4249.Google Scholar
Thompson, S. E., Armstrong, M., Auth, C., Cea, S., Chau, R., Glass, G., Hoffman, T., Klaus, J., Ma, Z., Mcintyre, B., Murthy, A., Obradovic, B., Shifren, L., Sivakumar, S., Tyagi, S., Ghani, T., Mistry, K., Bohr, M., and El-Mansy, Y. (2004). “A logic nanotechnology featuring strained-silicon,” IEEE Electron Device Lett. EDLEDZ 10.1109/LED.2004.825195 25, 191193.CrossRefGoogle Scholar