Interfacial silicon oxide formation during synthesis of ZrO on 2 Si 100/

The formation of interfacial silicon oxide accompanying the deposition and annealing of zirconium oxide films on Si 100.has been examined. Plasma sputtering of either ZrO2 or Zr was used and, prior to analysis by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy XPS.and X-ray diffraction XRD., the resulting films were exposed to ambient air andror were annealed in O2or N2. Oxygen-containing species produced by sputtering the ZrO2target caused oxidation of bare Si 100.during ZrO2 deposition. Silicon oxidation was reduced but not eliminated, and the ZrO2 deposition rate decreased as the plasma pressure of Ar was increased from 25 to 750 mTorr. Sputtering the Zr target led to some zirconium silicide at the interface between Si and Zr. Exposure to air at 300 K oxidized the silicide and the Zr leaving a thin interfacial silicon oxide layer -0.3 nm.. Deposition of zirconium on Si 100.covered by ;1.3 nm of native oxide was accompanied by an oxidation–reduction process; Zr was oxidized and Si was reduced, resulting in less than 1.3 nm of silicon oxide. For all the films, the thickness of the interfacial silicon oxide layer increased during thermal annealing in either O2 or N2. All the films were amorphous. q2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.