The growth chemistry and interfacial properties of silicon oxynitride and metal oxide ultrathin films on silicon

We summarize some recent work on the formation mechanisms, structure and composition of oxynitride and high-K films, as investigated by high-resolution medium-energy ion scattering MEIS.. We show that nitridation of a silicon oxide thin film takes place through transport of NO molecules to the oxidersilicon interface. Ta2O5 films on Si have a compositionally graded oxide, breaking up at high annealing temperatures. A thin buffer layer of Si3N4 can prevent this. q2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.