Composition-dependent structural and electronic properties of α-(Si1−xCx)3N4

The highly unusual structural and electronic properties of the α-phase of (Si1-xCx)3N4 are determined by density functional theory (DFT) calculations using the Generalized Gradient Approximation (GGA). The electronic properties of α-(Si 1-xCx)3N4 are found to be very close to those of α-C3N4. The bandgap of α-(Si 1-xCx)3N4 significantly decreases as C atoms are substituted by Si atoms (in most cases, smaller than that of either α-Si3N4 or α-C3N4) and attains a minimum when the ratio of C to Si is close to 2. On the other hand, the bulk modulus of α-(Si1-xCx)3N 4 is found to be closer to that of α-Si3N 4 than of α-C3N4. Plasma-assisted synthesis experiments of CNx and SiCN films are performed to verify the accuracy of the DFT calculations. TEM measurements confirm the calculated lattice constants, and FT-IR/XPS analysis confirms the formation and lengths of C-N and Si-N bonds. The results of DFT calculations are also in a remarkable agreement with the experiments of other authors.

High-rate, low-temperature synthesis of composition controlled hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide films in low-frequency inductively coupled plasmas

It is commonly believed that in order to synthesize high-quality hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide (a-Si1-xCx : H) films at competitive deposition rates it is necessary to operate plasma discharges at high power regimes and with heavy hydrogen dilution. Here we report on the fabrication of hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide films with different carbon contents x (ranging from 0.09 to 0.71) at high deposition rates using inductively coupled plasma (ICP) chemical vapour deposition with no hydrogen dilution and at relatively low power densities (∼0.025 W cm -3) as compared with existing reports. The film growth rate R d peaks at x = 0.09 and x = 0.71, and equals 18 nm min-1 and 17 nm min-1, respectively, which is higher than other existing reports on the fabrication of a-Si1-xCx : H films. The extra carbon atoms for carbon-rich a-Si1-xCx : H samples are incorporated via diamond-like sp3 C-C bonding as deduced by Fourier transform infrared absorption and Raman spectroscopy analyses. The specimens feature a large optical band gap, with the maximum of 3.74 eV obtained at x = 0.71. All the a-Si1-xCx : H samples exhibit low-temperature (77 K) photoluminescence (PL), whereas only the carbon-rich a-Si1-xCx : H samples (x ≥ 0.55) exhibit room-temperature (300 K) PL. Such behaviour is explained by the static disorder model. High film quality in our work can be attributed to the high efficiency of the custom-designed ICP reactor to create reactive radical species required for the film growth. This technique can be used for a broader range of material systems where precise compositional control is required. © 2008 IOP Publishing Ltd.

Tailoring the composition of self-assembled Si1−xCx quantum dots : simulation of plasma/ion-related controls

Precise control of composition and internal structure is essential for a variety of novel technological applications which require highly tailored binary quantum dots (QDs) with predictable optoelectronic and mechanical properties. The delicate balancing act between incoming flux and substrate temperature required for the growth of compositionally graded (Si1-xC x; x varies throughout the internal structure), core-multishell (discrete shells of Si and C or combinations thereof) and selected composition (x set) QDs on low-temperature plasma/ion-flux-exposed Si(100) surfaces is investigated via a hybrid numerical simulation. Incident Si and C ions lead to localized substrate heating and a reduction in surface diffusion activation energy. It is shown that by incorporating ions in the influx, a steady-state composition is reached more quickly (for selected composition QDs) and the composition gradient of a Si1-xCx QD may be fine tuned; additionally (with other deposition conditions remaining the same), larger QDs are obtained on average. It is suggested that ionizing a portion of the influx is another way to control the average size of the QDs, and ultimately, their internal structure. Advantages that can be gained by utilizing plasma/ion-related controls to facilitate the growth of highly tailored, compositionally controlled quantum dots are discussed as well.

Characterization of silicon carbide thin films and their use in colour sensor

A series of hydrogenated amorphous silicon carbide (a-Si1-xCx:H) films were prepared by plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD) using a gas mixture of silane, methane, and hydrogen as the reactive source. The previous results show that a high excitation frequency, together with a high hydrogen dilution ratio of the reactive gases, allow an easier incorporation of the carbon atoms into the silicon-rich a-Si1-xCx:H film, widen the valence controllability. The data show that films with optical gaps ranging from about 1.9 to 3.6 eV could be produced. In this work the influence of the hydrogen dilution ratio of the reactive gases on the a-Si1-xCx:H film properties was investigated. The microstuctural and photoelectronic properties of the silicon carbide films were characterized by Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS), elastic recoil detection analysis (ERDA), and FT-IR spectrometry. The results show that a higher hydrogen dilution ratio enhances the incorporation of silicon atoms in the amorphous carbon matrix for carbon-rich a-Si1-xCx:H films. One pin structure was prepared by using the a-Si1-xCx:H film as the intrinsic layer. The light spectral response shows that this structure fits the requirement for the top junction of colour sensor. (c) 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The effects of pre-irradiation on the formation of Si1-xCx alloys

Carbon ions were implanted into crystal Si to a concentration of (0.6-1.5)at% at room temperature. Some samples were pre-irradiated with S-29(i)+ ions, while others were not pre-irradiated. Then the two kinds of samples were implanted with C-12(+) ions simultaneously, and Si1-xCx alloys were grown by solid phase epitaxy with high-temperature annealing. The effects of preirradiation on the formation of Si1-xCx alloys were studied. If the dose of implanted C ion was less than that for amorphizing Si crystals, the implanted C atoms would like to combine with defects produced during implantation, and then it was difficult for Si1-xCx alloys to form after annealine, at 950 degreesC. Pre-irradiation was advantageous for Si1-xCx alloy formation. With the increase of C ion dose, the damage produced by C ions increased. Pre-irradiation was unfavorable for Si1-xCx, alloy formation. If the implanted C concentration was higher than that for solid phase epitaxy solution, only part of the implanted C atoms form Si1-xCx alloys and the effects of pre-irradiation could be neglected. As the annealing temperature was increased to 1050 degreesC, Si1-xCx alloys in both pre-irradiated and unpreirradiated samples of low C concentration remained, whereas most part of Si1-xCx alloys in samples with high C concentration vanished.

The formation and stability of Si1-xCx alloys in Si implanted with carbon

Si1-xCx alloys of carbon (C) concentration between 0.6%-1.0% were grown in Si by ion implantation and high temperature annealing. The formation of Si1-xCx alloys under different ion doses and their stability during annealing were studied. If the implanted dose was less than that for amorphizing Si crystals, the implanted C atoms would like to combine with defects produced during implantation and it was difficult to form Si1-xCx alloys after being annealed at 850 degreesC. With the increment of implanted C ion doses, the lattice damage increased and it was easier to form Si1-xCx alloys. But the lattice strain would become saturate and only part of implanted carbon atoms would occupy the substitutional positions to form Si1-xCx alloys as the implanted carbon dose increased to a certain degree. Once Si1-xCx alloys were formed, they were stable at 950 degreesC, but part of their strain would release as the annealing temperature increased to 1 000 degreesC. Stability of the alloys became worse with the increment of carbon concentration in the alloys.

The formation and characteristics of Si1-xCx alloys in Si crystals by means of implantation of cions with different doses

Carbon ions with concentration of (0.6-1.5)% were implanted into silicon crystals at room temperature and Si1-xCx alloys were grown by solid phase epitaxy with high temperature annealing. The formation and characteristics of Si1-xCx alloys under different implanted carbon doses were studied. If the implanted carbon atom concentration was less than 0.6%, carbon atoms would tend to combine with the defects produced during implantation and it was difficult for Si1-xCx alloys to form during annealing at 850-950 degreesC. With the increase of implanted C concentration, almost all implanted carbon atoms would occupy substitution positions to form Si1-xCx alloys, but only part of implanted carbon atoms would occupy the substitution position to form Si1-xCx alloys as the implanted dose increased to 1.5 %. Most Si1-xCx alloy phases would vanish as the annealing temperature was increased higher.

Near-Infrared Femtosecond Laser for Studying the Strain in Si1-xGex Alloy Films via Second-Harmonic Generation

The second-harmonic generation (SHG) from Si1-xGex alloy films has been investigated by near-infrared femtosecond laser. Recognized by s-out polarized SHG intensity versus rotational angle of sample, the crystal symmetry of the fully strained Si0.83Ge0.17 alloy is found changed from the O-h to the C-2 point group due to the inhomogeneity of the strain. Calibrated by double crystal X-ray diffraction, the strain-induced chi((2)) is estimated at 5.7 x 10(-7) esu. According to the analysis on p-in/s-out SHG, the strain-relaxed Si0.10Ge0.90 alloy film is confirmed to be not fully relaxed, and the remaining strain is quantitatively determined to be around 0.1%.

First-principles investigation of the alloy scattering potential in dilute Si1-xCx

A first-principles method is applied to find the intra and intervalley n-type carrier scattering rates for substitutional carbon in silicon. The method builds on a previously developed first-principles approach with the introduction of an interpolation technique to determine the intravalley scattering rates. Intravalley scattering is found to be the dominant alloy scattering process in Si1-xCx, followed by g-type intervalley scattering. Mobility calculations show that alloy scattering due to substitutional C alone cannot account for the experimentally observed degradation of the mobility. We show that the incorporation of additional charged impurity scattering due to electrically active interstitial C complexes models this residual resistivity well.

Anomalous temperature dependence of photoluminescence from a-C : H film deposited by energetic hydrocarbon ion beam

The temperature dependence of photoluminescence (PL) from a-C:H film deposited by CH3+ ion beam has been performed and an anomalous behavior has been reported. A transition temperature at which the PL intensity, peak position and full width at the half maximum change sharply was observed. It is proposed that different structure units. at least three, are responsible for such behavior. Above the transition point. increasing temperature will lead to the dominance of non-radiative recombination process, which quenches the PL overall and preferentially the red part, Possible emission mechanisms have been discussed. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

C离子注入Si中Si-C合金的形成及其特征

利用离子注入和高温退火的方法在 Si中生长了 C含量为 0 .6 %— 1.0 %的 Si1 - x Cx 合金 ,研究了注入过程中产生的损伤缺陷、注入 C离子的剂量及退火工艺对合金形成的影响 ,探讨了合金的形成机理及合金产生的应变分布的起因 .如果注入的 C离子剂量小于引起 Si非晶化的剂量 ,退火过程中注入产生的损伤缺陷容易与 C原子结合形成缺陷团簇 ,难于形成 Si1 - x Cx 合金 ,而预先利用 Si离子注入引进损伤有利于 Si1 - x Cx 合金的形成 ;但如果注入的C离子可以引起 Si的非晶化 ,预先注入产生的损伤缺陷不利于 Si1 - x Cx 合金的形成 .与慢速退火工艺相比 ,快速热退火工艺有利于 Si1 - x Cx 合金的形成 .离子注入的 C原子在空间分布不均匀 ,退火过程中将形成应变不同的 Si1 - x-Cx 合金区域 .

预注入对Si_(1-x)C_x合金形成的影响

室温下在单晶Si中注入 (0 6— 1 5 )at%的C原子 ,部分样品在C离子注入之前在其中注入2 9Si+ 离子产生损伤 ,然后在相同条件下利用高温退火固相外延了Si1 -xCx 合金 ,研究了预注入对Si1 -xCx 合金形成的影响 .如果注入C离子的剂量小于引起Si非晶化的剂量 ,在 95 0℃退火过程中注入产生的损伤缺陷容易与C原子结合形成缺陷团簇 ,难于形成Si1 -xCx 合金 ,预注入形成的损伤有利于合金的形成 .随着C离子剂量的增大 ,注入产生的损伤增强 ,预注入反而不利于Si1 -xCx 合金的形成 ,但当注入C原子的浓度超过固相外延的溶解度时 ,预注入的影响可以忽略 .退火温度升高到 10 5 0℃ ,无论预注入还是未预注入样品 ,C含量低的合金相仍然保留 ,而C含量高的合金相大部分消失 .

不同剂量C离子注入Si单晶中Si_(1-x)C_x合金的形成及其特征

室温下在单晶Si中注入 (0 6— 1 5 ) %的C原子 ,利用高温退火固相外延了Si1-xCx 合金 ,研究了不同注入剂量下Si1-xCx 合金的形成及其特征 .如果注入C原子的浓度小于 0 6 % ,在 85 0— 95 0℃退火过程中 ,C原子容易与注入产生的损伤缺陷结合 ,难于形成Si1-xCx 合金相 .随注入C原子含量的增加 ,C原子几乎全部进入晶格位置形成Si1-xCx 合金 ,但如果注入C原子的浓度达到 1 5 % ,只有部分C原子参与形成Si1-xCx 合金 .升高退火温度 ,Si1-xCx 合金相基本消失 .

C离子注入Si中Si_(1-x)C_x合金的形成及其稳定性

利用离子注入和高温退火的方法在Si中生长了C含量为0.6%~1.0%的Si1?xCx合金, 研究了不同注入剂量下Si1?xCx合金的形成及其在退火过程中的稳定性. 如果注入剂量小于引起Si非晶化的剂量, 850℃退火后, 注入产生的损伤缺陷容易与C原子结合形成缺陷团簇, 难于形成Si1?xCx合金. 随着注入C离子剂量的增大, 注入产生的损伤增强, 容易形成Si1?xCx合金, 但注入的剂量增大到一定程度, Si1?xCx合金的应变将趋于饱和, 即只有部分C原子进入晶格位置形成合金相. Si1?xCx合金一旦形成, 在950℃仍比较稳定, 而温度高于1 000℃, 合金的应力将部分释放. 随着合金中C原子浓度的升高, 合金的稳定性变差.

Characterization of strain in Si1-xGex films using multiple angle of incidence ellipsometry

In this letter we characterize strain in Si1-xGex based heterojunction bipolar transistors and modulation doped field effect transistors grown by rapid thermal chemical vapor deposition exploiting the phenomenon of strain-induced birefringence. The technique used is multiple angle of incidence ellipsometry at a wavelength of 670 nm to measure the ordinary and extraordinary refractive indices of the Si1-xGex films. We report measurements on thin fully strained films (with thicknesses less than the critical thickness) with Ge concentration varying from 9% to 40% with an accuracy of the order of 1 part in 10(4) and propose an empirical relation between the difference in the ordinary and extraordinary refractive indices (deltan) and the Ge concentration (x) given by deltan(x)=0.18x-0.12x(2). (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(00)03948-6].