Analysis of the Environmental Failure Behavior of Thin-film Semiconductor Materials Using in Quasi-in-Situ X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy
Thin-film semiconductor materials in use and storage are subjected to natural and induced environmental factors that cause degradation or even failure of the devices,thus affecting the reliability of the devices or even the whole system.Current research methods for environmental failure behavior are difficult to capture in-situ or quasi-in-situ surface composition and valence information,which makes it difficult to determine the behavior characteristics of early failure and grasp the failure mechanism in depth.Using in-situ and quasi-in-situ X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS)analysis techniques,the variation laws of surface and interface composition,chemical states and electronic structure of thin-film semiconductor materials were investigated by controlling environmental failure factors.The environmental failure behavior and failure mechanisms were revealed,and a new method for analyzing the environmental failure behavior of materials and devices related to thin-film semiconductor was established.The thermal overstress failure behavior of Au/Ni/Cu/HfO2 thin film materials was studied by quasi-in-situ XPS.The results indicated that the oxygen in the ambient atmosphere could further induce the diffusion of Ni and Cu atoms from the bulk phase to the surface layer.As the heat treatment temperature increased,the adsorption mode of oxygen changed from physical adsorption to chemical adsorption,and reactions occurred on the surface of the Au layer,producing NiO,Ni2O3 and CuO,leading to changes in the surface composition of thin-film material.This case demonstrated that the quasi-in-situ XPS method could obtain the quasi-real-time surface composition and chemical state information of thin-film semiconductor materials and systematically analyze the characteristics and failure mechanism of the early failure behavior,which would be of great significance to the rational selection and design improvement of thin-film semiconductor material systems in the process of equipment design and production,as well as to improve the environmental adaptability and reliability of the electronic chips.
万方数据
维普
