[Table of Contents]

Plasma and Fusion Research

Volume 10, 1406079 (2015)

Regular Articles

Numerical Simulation of Atomic Layer Oxidation of Silicon by Oxygen Gas Cluster Beams
Kohei MIZOTANI, Michiro ISOBE, Kazuhiro KARAHASHI and Satoshi HAMAGUCHI
Center of Atomic and Molecular Technologies, Osaka University, 2-1 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 564-0871, Japan
(Received 15 February 2015 / Accepted 8 March 2015 / Published 25 September 2015)

Abstract

A gas cluster is a collection of atoms or molecules weakly bound by van der Waals forces. Gas clusters may form by the adiabatic expansion of gases. In this study, it is demonstrated by molecular dynamics simulations that a low-energy beam of oxygen gas clusters may be used to oxidize the top surface layer of silicon (Si) substrates without affecting its deeper layers. An incident oxygen gas cluster with sufficiently low incident energy may stick to the Si surface and expose a large number of oxygen molecules to the surface Si atoms for extended periods until the cluster sublimates. This may cause the formation of Si-O bonds only on the top Si surface. This is in contrast to the oxidation of Si by oxygen ion beams or plasmas, where deeper layers of the Si surface are typically oxidized by the energetic incident oxygen ions. An oxidized single Si layer may be chemically removed; therefore, this nearly single-layer oxidation process by oxygen gas cluster beams may lead to the development of a new atomic layer etching technology for Si.

Keywords

gas cluster, gas cluster ion beam, molecular dynamics simulation, beam-surface interaction, atomic layer etching

DOI: 10.1585/pfr.10.1406079

Full Text

PDF format (1.2Mbytes) PDF Download

References

  • [1] Y. Horiike, T. Tanaka, M. Nakano, S. Iseda, H. Sakaue, A. Nagata, H. Shindo, S. Miyazaki and M. Hirose, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 8, 1844 (1990).
  • [2] H. Sakaue, S. Iseda, K. Asami, H. Yamamoto, M. Hirose and Y. Horiike, Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 29, 2648 (1990).
  • [3] T. Meguro, M. Hamagaki, S. Modaressi, T. Hara, Y. Aoyagi, M. Ishii and Y. Yamamoto, Appl. Phys. Lett. 56, 1552 (1990).
  • [4] T. Meguro, M. Ishii, H. Kodama, M. Hamagaki, T. Hara, Y. Yamamoto and Y. Aoyagi, Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 29, 2216 (1990).
  • [5] S.D. Athavale and D.J. Economou, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 13, 966 (1995).
  • [6] S.D. Athavale and D.J. Economou, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. B 14, 3702 (1996).
  • [7] T. Sugiyama, T. Matsuura and J. Murota, Appl. Surf. Sci. 112, 187 (1997).
  • [8] B.-J. Kim, S. Chung and S.M. Cho, Appl. Surf. Sci. 187, 124 (2002).
  • [9] S.-D. Park, K.-S. Min, B.-Y. Yoon, D.-H. Lee and G.-Y. Yeom, Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 44, 389 (2005).
  • [10] J.B. Park, W.S. Lim, B.J. Park, I.H. Park, Y.W. Kim and G.Y. Yeom, J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 42, 055202 (2009).
  • [11] A. Agarwal and M.J. Kushner, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 27, 37 (2009).
  • [12] N. Marchack and J.P. Chang, J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 44, 174011 (2011).
  • [13] E. Vogli, D. Metzler and G.S. Oehrlein, Appl. Phys. Lett. 102, 253105 (2013).
  • [14] C.G.N. Lee, K.J. Kanarik and R.A. Gottscho, J. Phys. D: Appl. Phys. 47, 273001 (2014).
  • [15] D. Metzler, R.L. Bruce, S. Engelmann, E.A. Joseph and G.S. Oehrlein, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 32, 020603 (2014).
  • [16] K. Nojiri, Dry Etching Technology for Semiconductors (Springer International Publishing, 2015).
  • [17] M. Leskela and M. Ritala, Thin Solid Films 409, 138 (2002).
  • [18] M. Leskela and M. Ritala, Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. 42, 5548 (2003).
  • [19] M.D. Groner, F.H. Fabreguette, J.W. Elam and S.M. George, Chem. Mater. 16, 639 (2004).
  • [20] R.L. Puurunen, J. Appl. Phys. 97, 121301 (2005).
  • [21] E. Langereis, M. Creatore, S.B.S. Heil, M.C.M. van de Sanden and W.M.M. Kessels, Appl. Phys. Lett. 89, 081915 (2006).
  • [22] H.B. Profijt, S.E. Potts, M.C.M. van de Sanden and W.M.M. Kessels, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 29, 050801 (2011).
  • [23] H. Kim and I.-K. Oh, Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 53, 03DA01 (2014).
  • [24] A. Kantrowitz and J. Grey, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 22, 328 (1951).
  • [25] E.W. Becker, K. Bier and W. Henkes, Z. Phys. 146, 333 (1956).
  • [26] O.F. Hagena and W.J. Obert, J. Chem. Phys. 56, 1793 (1972).
  • [27] T. Takagi, I. Yamada and A. Sasaki, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. 12, 1128 (1975).
  • [28] I. Yamada, K. Matsubara, M. Kodama, M. Ozawa and T. Takagi, J. Cryst. Growth 45, 326 (1978).
  • [29] F. Frank, W. Schulze, B. Tesche, J. Urban and B. Winter, Surf. Sci. 156, 90 (1985).
  • [30] P.M.S. John, R.D. Beck and R.L. Whetten, Phys. Rev. Lett. 69, 1467 (1992).
  • [31] Z. Insepov and I. Yamada, Nucl. Instrum. Methods B 99, 248 (1995).
  • [32] M. Akizuki, J. Matsuo et al., Jpn. J. Appl. Phys. 35, 1450 (1996).
  • [33] I. Yamada, J. Matsuo, N. Toyoda and A. Kirkpatrick, Mater. Sci. Eng. R 34, 231 (2001).
  • [34] X. Li, W.D. Goodhue, C. Santeufeimio, T.G. Tetreault, R. MacCrimmon, L.P. Allen, C. Bliss, K. Krishnaswami and C. Sung, Appl. Surf. Sci. 218, 251 (2003).
  • [35] N. Toyoda, J. Matsuo and I. Yamada, Nucl. Instrum. Methods B 216, 379 (2004).
  • [36] C. Anders and H. Urbassek, Nucl. Instrum. Methods B 228, 57 (2005).
  • [37] Y. Yamaguchi and J. Gspann, Eur. Phys. J. D 34, 247 (2005).
  • [38] S. Kakuta, S. Sasaki, T. Hirano, K. Ueda, T. Seki, S. Ninomiya, M. Hada and J. Matsuo, Nucl. Instrum. Methods B 257, 677 (2007).
  • [39] T. Aoki, T. Seki and J. Matsuo, Nucl. Instrum. Methods B 267, 2999 (2009).
  • [40] R.J. Paruch, B.J. Garrison, M. Mlynek and Z. Postawa, J. Phys. Chem. Lett. 5, 3227 (2014).
  • [41] I. Yamada, J. Matsuo, N. Toyoda, T. Aoki and T. Seki, Curr. Opin. Solid State Mater. Sci. 19, 12 (2015).
  • [42] Atomic and Molecular Beam Methods, ed. by G. Scoles, D. Bassi, U. Buck and D.C. Laine (Vol.1, Oxford University Press, 1988).
  • [43] F.H. Stillinger and T.A. Weber, Phys. Rev. B 31, 5262 (1985).
  • [44] F.H. Stillinger and T.A. Weber, J. Chem. Phys. 88, 5123 (1988).
  • [45] F.H. Stillinger and T.A. Weber, Phys. Rev. Lett. 62, 2144 (1989).
  • [46] T.A. Weber and F.H. Stillinger, J. Chem. Phys. 92, 6239 (1990).
  • [47] H. Ohta and S. Hamaguchi, J. Chem. Phys. 115, 6679 (2001).
  • [48] H. Ohta and S. Hamaguchi, J. Vac. Sci. Technol. A 19, 2373 (2001).
  • [49] J.E. Jones, Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A 106, 463 (1924).
  • [50] J.O. Hirschfelder and W.E. Roseveare, J. Phys. Chem. 43, 15 (1939).

This paper may be cited as follows:

Kohei MIZOTANI, Michiro ISOBE, Kazuhiro KARAHASHI and Satoshi HAMAGUCHI, Plasma Fusion Res. 10, 1406079 (2015).