We have developed optical methods for nondestructive measurements of the depth distribution of defects and carrier concentrations in crystalline Si as well as for in-situ monitoring of the initial growth processes of thin oxide layers on Si surfaces based on angle-resolved ellipsometry combined with a computer analysis of the ellipsometric data. Damage profiles in ion-implanted Si wafers have been determined by numerically solving the Maxwell equations for the three-layer system including the surface SiO₂ layer, amorphous Si layer, and transition layer on the Si substrate. Depth profiles of carrier concentrations in shallow-doped Si samples have been estimated based on CO₂ laser ellipsometry with a wavelength of 10.6 micrometers using the infrared ellipsometric parameters as a function of the incident angle. Changes in the thickness and refractive index have been observed during the initial oxide growth on Si surfaces with various chemical treatments using visible-laser ellipsometry and the growth mechanisms of the natural oxide layers on Si have been investigated. Spectroscopic ellipsometry has been also applied to analyze the dielectric functions of amorphous Si films prepared by various methods such as ion-implantation, electron-beam evaporation, and plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition.

Date Published: 18 September 1995
PDF: 9 pages
Proc. SPIE 2638, Optical Characterization Techniques for High-Performance Microelectronic Device Manufacturing II, (18 September 1995); doi: 10.1117/12.221191

Published in SPIE Proceedings Vol. 2638:
Optical Characterization Techniques for High-Performance Microelectronic Device Manufacturing II
John K. Lowell; Ray T. Chen; Jagdish P. Mathur, Editor(s)