Abstract
A modified version of the statistical dynamical diffraction theory (mSDDT) permits full-pattern fitting of high-resolution X-ray diffraction scans from thin-film systems across the entire range from fully dynamic to fully kinematic scattering. The mSDDT analysis has been applied to a set of model SiGe/Si thin-film samples in order to define the capabilities of this approach. For defect-free materials that diffract at the dynamic limit, mSDDT analyses return structural information that is consistent with commercial dynamical diffraction simulation software. As defect levels increase and the diffraction characteristics shift towards the kinematic limit, the mSDDT provides new insights into the structural characteristics of these materials.
Highlights
The ability to effectively characterize strain-relaxed structures such as silicon–germanium (SiGe) material commonly seen in modern thin-film technology is one of the on-going challenges in the semiconductor industry
That broadening effects due to the presence of defects in the substrate will have an impact on the diffracted amplitude and need to be incorporated into the statistical dynamical diffraction theory (SDDT) model
We have examined a set of well characterized model samples; the analysis of these materials should illustrate the utility of mSDDT for providing characterizations of partially and fully strain relaxed thin-layer materials
Summary
The ability to effectively characterize strain-relaxed structures such as silicon–germanium (SiGe) material commonly seen in modern thin-film technology is one of the on-going challenges in the semiconductor industry. The Takagi–Taupin (T–T) equations are in turn based on the dynamical theory of X-ray diffraction, which assumes that the structures are crystallographically perfect (or nearly so), with very small fluctuations of lattice displacements The use of this approach for the analysis of highly defective layers is not recommended, . An approach that has consistently shown promise for the analysis of structurally defective materials is the statistical dynamical diffraction theory (SDDT) It was first devised by Kato (1980a,b) and further developed by others, including Bushuev (1989a,b), Punegov (1990a,b, 1991, 1993), Punegov & Kharchenko (1998) and Pavlov & Punegov (2000). The typical approach in the SDDT is to integrate incoherent scattering (due to defects) and coherent scattering (dynamical-based from crystallographically perfect structures) using two parameters: a static Debye–Waller factor (E) and a complex. We have examined a set of well characterized model samples; the analysis of these materials should illustrate the utility of mSDDT for providing characterizations of partially and fully strain relaxed thin-layer materials
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