Segregation of aluminum in Si and SiO2 films deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition in fabrication of low-temperature poly Si thin-film transitor

Abstract

Metal contamination in Si and SiO2 films deposited by plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) in the fabrication of low-temperature poly Si thin-film transitor was investigated. Aluminum was the major metal impurity to have the highest concentration. Segregation of Al was always observed in the films deposited at temperatures above 400 °C. The impurity level in the segregated region was 1018 ∼ 1020 atoms/cm3 for Al, while the concentration in matrix was about 1016 atoms/cm3. From the transmission electron microscopy image, the Al segregated region contains small-size Al precipitates. Although the Al impurity level of 1016 atoms/cm3 did not cause any serious degradation of device performance, the level of 1018 atom/cm3 and higher can induce a fatal degradation of the threshold voltage. This study revealed that the Al originated from the PECVD chamber, carbon precipitates provided the preferred sites for Al precipitates, and the solubility and diffusivity of Al in Si accelerated the segregation of Al.