Surface modification and oxidation of Si wafers after low energy plasma treatment in hydrogen, helium and argon

• Published in: Materials science in semiconductor processing Vol. 16; no. 6; pp. 1377 - 1381
• Main Authors: Turishchev, S.Yu, Terekhov, V.A., Parinova, E.V., Korolik, O.V., Mazanik, A.V., Fedotov, A.K.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01-12-2013
• Subjects: Electronic structure; Helium; Low energy; Low energy plasma treatment; Semiconductors; Silicon; Silicon oxide nanolayers; Silicon oxides; Silicon wafers; Surface chemistry; Surface layer; Wafers; X-ray absorption near edge structure; Electronic structure; Silicon wafers; X-ray absorption near edge structure; Low energy plasma treatment; Silicon oxide nanolayers
• ISSN: 1369-8001; 1873-4081
• DOI: 10.1016/j.mssp.2013.04.020

Surface layers of the single crystalline silicon wafers subjected to low-energy hydrogen, helium and argon plasma treatments were investigated using X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy (XANES) with the use of synchrotron radiation. It was shown that a surface silicon oxide layer with a thickness greater than native silicon oxide is formed as a result of such treatment. At the same time, in the investigated wafers the surface layers of a few nanometers appear to contain elemental silicon in a disordered (amorphous) state. Possible clusterization of Si in the surface layers was considered to result from the plasma treatment.