Effects of surface oxide on the rapid thermal nitridation of Si(001)

Abstract

We have investigated the role of surface oxygen on the rapid thermal nitridation of Si(001) by NH3 using medium energy ion scattering. For short times, typical of rapid thermal processing, monolayer quantities of oxygen are sufficient to reduce nitridation. The oxide remains on the surface after nitridation, which may adversely influence subsequent nitride chemical vapor deposition.