Nitrogen incorporation in SiO2 by rapid thermal processing of silicon and SiO2 in N2O

Abstract

The N₂O‐rapid thermal processing (RTP) of (100) silicon and of SiO₂ at 1150 °C for 30, 100, and 300 s leads to a constant nitrogen maximum content in an interlayer between SiO₂ and Si with the consequence of decreasing nitrogen content at surface and in bulk with process time. If 10–10 000 vpm H₂ is added to N₂O during RTP the nitrogen incorporation remains generally unchanged. The nitrogen should be incorporated from the NO_x species dissociated at the interface with favoring the Si–O binding. The nitrogen compensates defective sites near the interface and in the bulk also in the presence of hydrogen.