Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-c47g7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-18T10:46:21.983Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Nanoscale strain characterization in microelectronic materials using X-ray diffraction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 February 2012

Conal E. Murray ,
A. J. Ying ,
S. M. Polvino ,
I. C. Noyan  and
Z. Cai
Conal E. Murray*
Affiliation:
I.B.M. T.J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, New York 10598
A. J. Ying
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Physics and Mathematics, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027
S. M. Polvino
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Physics and Mathematics, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027
I. C. Noyan
Affiliation:
Department of Applied Physics and Mathematics, Columbia University, New York, New York 10027
Z. Cai
Affiliation:
Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. Electronic mail: conal@us.ibm.com
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

The engineering of strained semiconductor materials represents an important aspect of the enhancement in CMOS device performance required for current and future generations of microelectronic technology. An understanding of the mechanical response of the Si channel regions and their environment is key to the prediction and design of device operation. Because of the complexity of the composite geometries associated with microelectronic circuitry, in situ characterization at a submicron resolution is necessary to verify the predicted strain distributions. Of the measurement techniques commonly used for strain characterization, synchrotron-based X-ray microbeam diffraction represents the best nondestructive method to provide spatially resolved information. The mapping of strain distributions in silicon-on-insulator (SOI) features induced by overlying silicon nitride structures and embedded heteroepitaxial features adjacent to SOI device channels are presented. The interaction regions of the SOI strain were observed to extend large distances from the SOI/stressor interfaces leading to significant overlap in the strain distributions at technically relevant dimensions. Experimental data were also compared to several mechanical models to assess their validity in predicting these strain distributions.

Keywords

stressthin filmsX-ray diffraction
Type
Technical Articles
Information
Powder Diffraction , Volume 25 , Issue 2 , June 2010 , pp. 108 - 113
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2010

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bardeen, J. and Shockley, W. (1950). “Deformation potentials and mobilities in non-polar crystals,” Phys. Rev. PRVAAH 80, 72–80.10.1103/PhysRev.80.72CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brantley, W. A. (1973). “Calculated elastic constants for stress problems associated with semiconductor devices,” J. Appl. Phys. JAPIAU 44, 534–535.10.1063/1.1661935CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Colman, D., Bate, R. T., and Mize, J. P. (1968). “Mobility anisotropy and piezoresistance in silicon p-type inversion layers,” J. Appl. Phys. JAPIAU 39, 1923–1931.10.1063/1.1656464CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Davies, J. H. (2003). “Elastic field in a semi-infinite solid due to thermal expansion or a coherently misfitting inclusion,” ASME J. Appl. Mech. JAMCAV 70, 655–660.10.1115/1.1602481CrossRefGoogle Scholar
DeWolf, I., Norstrom, H., and Maes, H. E. (1993). “Process-induced mechanical stress in isolation structures studied by micro-Raman spectroscopy,” J. Appl. Phys. JAPIAU 74, 4490–4500.10.1063/1.354365CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Georgi, C., Hecker, M., and Zschech, E. (2007). “Effects of laser-induced heating on Raman stress measurements of silicon and silicon-germanium structures,” J. Appl. Phys. JAPIAU 101, 123104-1–123104–6.10.1063/1.2743882CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hue, F., Hytch, M., Bender, H., Houdeliier, F., and Claverie, A. (2008). “Direct mapping of strain in a strained silicon transistor by high-resolution electron microscopy,” Phys. Rev. Lett. PRLTAO 100, 156602-1–156602-4.10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.156602CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ito, S., Namba, H., Hirata, T., Ando, K., Koyama, S., Ikezawa, S., Suzuki, T., Saitoh, T., and Horiuchi, T. (2002). “Effect of mechanical stress induced by etch-stop nitride: Impact on deep-submicron transistor performance,” Microelectron. Reliab. MCRLAS 42, 201–209.10.1016/S0026-2714(01)00238-4CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Michell, J. H. (1900). “Elementary distributions of plane stress,” Proc. London Math. Soc. PLMTAL 32, 35–61.10.1112/plms/s1-32.1.23Google Scholar
Mindlin, R. D. and Cheng, D. H. (1950). “Thermoelastic stress in the semi-infinite solid,” J. Appl. Phys. JAPIAU 21, 931–933.10.1063/1.1699786CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murray, C. E. (2006). “Mechanics of edge effects in anisotropic thin film/substrate systems,” J. Appl. Phys. JAPIAU 100, 103532-1–103532-9.10.1063/1.2369642CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murray, C. E., Ren, Z., Ying, A., Polvino, S. M., and Noyan, I. C. (2009). “Strain measured in a silicon-on-insulator, complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor device channel induced by embedded silicon-carbon source/drain regions,” Appl. Phys. Lett. APPLAB 94, 063502-1–063502-3.10.1063/1.3079656CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murray, C. E., Saenger, K. L., Kalenci, O., Polvino, S. M., Noyan, I. C., Lai, B., and Cai, Z. (2008). “Submicron mapping of silicon-on-insulator strain distributions induced by stressed liner structures,” J. Appl. Phys. JAPIAU 104, 013530-1–013530-8.10.1063/1.2952044CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Murray, C. E., Yan, H. -F., Noyan, I. C., Cai, Z., and Lai, B. (2005). “High-resolution strain mapping in heteroepitaxial thin-film features,” J. Appl. Phys. JAPIAU 98, 13504-1–13504-9.10.1063/1.1938277CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rim, K., Hoyt, J. L., and Gibbons, J. F. (2000). “Fabrication and analysis of deep submicron strained-Si N-MOSFET’s,” IEEE Trans. Electron Devices IETDAI 47, 1406–1415.10.1109/16.848284CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rizzo, F. (1967). “An integral equation approach to boundary value problems of classical elastostatics,” Q. Appl. Math. QAMAAY 25, 83–95.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Smith, C. S. (1954). “Piezoresistance effect in germanium and silicon,” Phys. Rev. PRVAAH 94, 42–49.10.1103/PhysRev.94.42CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thompson, S. E., Armstrong, M., Auth, C., Cea, S., Chau, R., Glass, G., Hoffman, T., Klaus, J., Ma, Z., McIntyre, B., Murthy, A., Obradovic, B., Shifren, L., Sivakumar, S., Tyagi, S., Ghani, T., Mistry, K., Bohr, M., and El-Mansy, Y. (2004). “A logic technology featuring strained-silicon,” IEEE Electron Device Lett. EDLEDZ 25, 191–193.10.1109/LED.2004.825195CrossRefGoogle Scholar