Plasma Passivation Research Articles

Enhanced luminescence efficiency in GaN-based blue laser diodes by H plasma technology

To the best of our knowledge, this paper is the first to report the application of H plasma treatment technology to the treatment of laser diode ridge. Through the H plasma passivation on the ridge of the laser diode, a neutral complexes layer (i.e., Mg-H) is formed on the ridge, which effectively reduces ridge leakage current, thus reducing the threshold current of the laser diode and significantly improving the slope efficiency. The ridge were treated with H plasma using the Oxford Plasmalab System 100 ICP 180. The lasers' leakage current, optical power, emission wavelength, and other parameters were measured using a Cascade150 + B1505A probe station system, along with matched optical power meters and fiber optic spectrometers. Specifically, this study successfully fabricates a GaN-based blue laser diode characterized by a threshold current as low as 0.42 A and a slope efficiency as high as 1.96 W/A. Compared with the traditional silicon oxide-mediated ridge treated laser, the threshold current of the laser passivated by H plasma is reduced by 0.13 A, and the slope efficiency is increased by 0.56 W/A. This research not only enhances the performance of laser diodes but also has the potential to expand their application in multiple fields.

Effect of N2-H2 remote plasma nitridation temperature on surface properties of Te-doped GaSb crystals

GaSb is regarded as one of the most promising near-infrared optoelectronic materials in recent years. However, due to the ease of natural oxidation of GaSb, the surface will promptly form a thick oxide layer which is highly resistant to removal, resulting in detrimental interface defects and higher surface state density. Although studies have demonstrated the feasibility of plasma for removing oxide, the ultra-high vacuum is necessary for complete removal, which poses challenges for commercial applications. Herein, we optimized the nitrogen plasma passivation process for Te-doped GaSb, combining remote plasma source with Atomic Layer Deposition (ALD) in-situ annealing to modify GaSb (001) surface, which approaches non-damaging treatment. The temperature during passivation will affect nitrogenation on GaSb surface, result in enrichment of metallic Sb when reaching 573 K, and impact emission efficiency. By setting the passivation temperature at 523 K and combining with in-situ annealing, the photoluminescence (PL) efficiency of GaSb has doubled. This demonstrates the validity of low-temperature nitrogen passivation in improving surface state and reducing defect density on GaSb.

Effects of valence changes of iodine on perovskite (CH3NH3PbI3) Raman

In recent years, organic–inorganic hybrid perovskite materials have garnered extensive attention from scholars. Given its high absorption coefficient, carrier mobility, and diffusion length, it is widely studied for applications in various optoelectronic devices, such as solar cells, photodetectors, field-effect transistors, and light emitting diodes. Among them, the interfacial charge transfer process is a key factor influencing the performance of devices using perovskite materials. The charge transfer (CT) at the interface is typically detected via Raman spectroscopy. There are three types of related CT processes, namely, the interfacial ground state charge transfer, the photoinduced charge transfer resonance, and the electronic excitation resonance within the molecule itself. Among these factors, electronic excitation resonance manifests as an exciton resonance within the perovskite structure, providing energy for nearby charge transfer, thereby promoting charge transfer and enhancing Raman signals. Therefore, enhancing exciton resonance within the perovskite structure plays a crucial role in optoelectronic devices. This paper aimed to study the mechanism of oxygen plasma passivation of interstitial iodine defects and its enhancement effect on the Raman of perovskite substrates. Typically, interstitial iodine defects induce electron–hole recombination. In the process of oxygen plasma treatment, interstitial iodine is converted into pentavalent iodine, which can effectively fill related defects, inhibit electron–hole recombination, and prolong exciton lifetime, thereby promoting charge transfer and enhancing Raman intensity.

Investigation of Nitrogen-Based Plasma Passivation on GaN RF HEMTs Using Various Precursors

Investigation of Nitrogen-Based Plasma Passivation on GaN RF HEMTs Using Various Precursors

Air stable plasma passivation of GaAs at room temperature

GaAs surfaces require electrical and chemical passivation for semiconductor devices, but in order to have air stable passivation, high temperatures have been previously required in the passivation step. Here, we demonstrate air-stable, ex situ plasma passivation of GaAs using consecutive hydrogen and nitrogen plasmas at room temperature. No pre-clean using deoxidizing wet chemistry or other means is required. The hydrogen plasma step removes surface oxides and As, which leaves a Ga-rich layer that the nitrogen plasma then turns to GaN. The formed GaN layer efficiently passivates the surface. The plasma-passivated GaAs shows upto 5× room-temperature photoluminescence after 1 year, and room-temperature time-resolved photoluminescence demonstrates robust passivation even after 3 years, both comparisons to similarly aged unpassivated GaAs. Atomic force microscopy was used to confirm that the passivated surfaces can be made smooth enough for microelectronic applications. Grazing incidence x-ray diffraction indicated that the nitride films are amorphous, and energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy was used to estimate the nitrogen content. We used a common inductively coupled plasma reactive ion etching system for plasma passivation, thus enabling the rapid adoption of this technique.

Impact of CF4/O2 Plasma Passivation on Endurance Performance of Zr-Doped HfO2 Ferroelectric Film

The impact of fluorine (CF <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">4</sub> ) and oxygen (O <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> ) plasma passivation on HfZrO <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">x</sub> (HZO)-based ferroelectric capacitor was investigated. When fabricating the capacitor, the order of passivation treatment was varied to improve the endurance characteristic. In detail, the CF <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">4</sub> /O <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> plasma treatment was applied to one of the three different layers (i.e., (i) Si substrate, (ii) dielectric, and (iii) HZO layer in the capacitor). Those capacitors were annealed at three different temperatures, i.e., 400 °C, 500 °C and 600 °C. The pristine remnant polarization (2P <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">r</sub> ) of capacitors was improved with CF <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">4</sub> /O <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> passivation. However, the endurance performance was varied depending on various fabrication conditions. The capacitor with the CF <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">4</sub> /O <sub xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sub> plasma treatment on Si substrate showed two orders of magnitude improvement in its endurance performance. The order of passivation significantly affected the ferroelectric properties. This is due mainly to the variation of atomic bonding of Hf/Zr and O atoms in HZO layer. The variation of atomic bonding was quantitatively confirmed by XPS analysis.

Gate leakage mechanisms of the AlGaN/GaN HEMT with fluorinated graphene passivation

The AlGaN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistor (HEMT) passivated by fluorinated graphene (FG) has been investigated. The performances of the HEMTs without passivation before and after F plasma treatment, with FG, Silicon nitride (SiNx), FG/SiNx passivation were contrasted. Compared with the HEMT without F plasma treatment and passivation, the gate leakage current decreases one and a half orders of magnitude after F plasma treatment and SiNx passivated, and four orders of magnitude after FG and FG/SiNx passivated. To study the leakage mechanisms, the temperature dependences of gate leakages have been tested at 323 K–473 K. Through analysis and fitting, the leakages are composed of three components, which are thermionic emission (TE) current, two-dimensional variable range hopping (2D-VRH) current, and Fowler–Nordheim tunneling (FNT) current. TE dominates in the high forward bias region. 2D-VRH dominates in low forward bias. And the chief leakage mechanisms at reverse bias are 2D-VRH and FNT. At 473 K, Schottky barrier height of the HEMT with FG passivation is 1.21 eV. The activation energy and the effective barrier height on the HEMT with FG passivation are 0.64 eV and 0.33 eV respectively. Furthermore, the reasons for the decrement of the gate leakage on the HEMT with FG and FG/SiNx passivation are the enhancement of Schottky barrier heights and augmentation of activation energy. And the improvement in gate leakages for the HEMT passivated by FG/SiNx mainly results from the effect of FG.

Nitrogen plasma passivation of GaAs nanowires resolved by temperature dependent photoluminescence

We demonstrate a significant improvement in the optical performance of GaAs nanowires achieved using a mixed nitrogen-hydrogen plasma which passivates surface states and reduces the rate of nonradiative recombination. This has been confirmed by time-resolved photoluminescence measurements. At room temperature, the intensity and lifetime of radiative recombination in the plasma-treated nanowires was several times greater than that of the as-grown GaAs nanowires. Low-temperature measurements corroborated these findings, revealing a dramatic increase in photoluminescence by two orders of magnitude. Photoelectron spectroscopy of plasma passivated nanowires demonstrated a yearlong stability achieved through the replacement of surface oxygen with nitrogen. Furthermore, the process removed the As0 defects observed on non-passivated nanowires which are known to impair devices. The results validate plasma as a nitridation technique suitable for nanoscale GaAs crystals. As a simple ex situ procedure with modest temperature and vacuum requirements, it represents an easy method for incorporating GaAs nanostructures into optoelectronic devices.

Improved remnant polarization of Zr-doped HfO2 ferroelectric film by CF4/O2 plasma passivation

In this work, the impact of fluorine (CF4) and oxygen (O2) plasma passivation on HfZrOx (HZO) based ferroelectric capacitor was investigated. By the fluorine passivation, the surface trap density and oxygen vacancies in the HZO-based Metal–ferroelectric–insulator–semiconductor (MFIS) capacitors were suppressed, resulting in the increased pristine remnant polarization (2Pr). The pristine value (2Pr) of baseline samples annealed at 500 °C and 600 °C were 11.4 µC/cm2 and 24.4 µC/cm2, respectively. However, with the F–passivation, the 2Pr values were increased to 30.8 µC/cm2 and 48.2 µC/cm2 for 500 °C and 600 °C, respectively. The amount of surface defects and oxygen vacancies are quantitatively confirmed by the conductance method and XPS analysis. However, due to the incorporation of fluorine atoms into the ferroelectric–insulator films, undesirable degradation on endurance characteristics were observed.

Facet passivation process of high-power laser diodes by plasma cleaning and ZnO film

Passivation of dangling bonds at the cleaved mirror facet and its durability are fundamental features of semiconductor lasers to obtain reliable operation with a long device lifetime. The high non-radiative recombination activity of the surface states needs to be controlled to prevent the Fermi level pinning before the deposition of mirror coating materials. Here, we report the incorporation of plasma cleaning of the facet and ZnO film as a passivation layer for the fabrication of high-power semiconductor lasers. The Argon plasma cleaning process was investigated to eliminate surface contamination without damaging the cavity surface. The ZnO passivation films were systematically studied by varying the chamber pressure and sputtering power of the radio frequency (RF) sputter coating process. We obtained homogeneous and dense ZnO films with high surface quality and optical absorption coefficient of zero. By incorporating the optimum plasma cleaning and passivation layer parameters, GaAs-based laser devices with significantly improved catastrophic optical mirror damage (COMD) power were achieved. COMD threshold was increased from 11.9 W to 20.7 W. The life test results demonstrate no failure for facet cleaned and passivated devices for more than 500 h, confirming the long-term effectiveness of the process for actual device integration.

Improved interface and dark current properties of InGaAs photodiodes by high-density N2 plasma and stoichiometric Si3N4 passivation

The interface and dark current properties of mesa-structure In0.83Ga0.17As photodiodes with improved passivation processes are investigated. Inductively coupled plasma chemical vapor deposition (ICPCVD) is used to continuously perform high-density N2 plasma treatment of InGaAs epitaxial material and then SiNx passivation film deposition. The bonding efficiency between Si and N can be effectively improved when close-to-stoichiometric SiNx films are synthesized by precisely controlling the N2 and SiH4 flow rates. Metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) capacitors are fabricated to study the interface properties, and C-V analysis shows that the interface state density significantly decreases to 5.3 × 1012 cm−2eV−1. Then, the process is applied to mesa-structure In0.83Ga0.17As photodiodes, and the results show a low dark current density (13 nA/cm2, @ 190 K) and negligible surface current (@ room temperature), indicating the ideal passivation effect. The method of increasing the deposition temperature to promote chemical bonding of SiNx films is studied, and both the interface and dark current properties can be improved. Our work is of important significance to the development of low-noise and large-format InGaAs arrays.

Effect of Laser Surface Treatment on Transition Temperature of Ni/Ti SMAS

It is well established that SMAs have a great important as: engineering and biomaterial applications, because of unique properties that had as well as, good biocompatibility. however, duo to its possible corrosion in physiological solution, dissolution of toxic Ni might be happening. Several studies have been carried out to improve the stability of the passive protective film of Tio2 and prevent the Ni ion relies out of NiTi. Surface treatment is one of these methods or techniques such as, ion implantation, plasma electro polishing, passivation, ultra-sonic treatment and laser treatment, most of these treatments are effects on transition temperatures (As,Af,Ms,Mf). Change of these temps. will affected the normal use especially in human body, so keeping these temps. within the range of the human body is of main requirements to Evaluation the efficiency of any treatment. In this study (55 wt% Ni, 45 wt % Ti) SMAs has been prepared by (PM), compacted at 850 MPa and sintered. Laser pulses deposition technique at (1064, 532) nm at different energy (2, 2.3, 2.7) J. At power (200) wat in constant duration time (2 ns) has been used to modify surface by continuous stricks (side by side) to study mechanical, corrosion properties and how laser pulses effects on transition temp. All results confirmed that there is a positive effect on properties, % improving in hardness with respect to reference sample are (145, 132.8, 123.8) and (180.9, 169.5, 152.3) at 1064, 532 wave length respectively. Improvement in Ni relies are equal to (52, 38) % with respect to reference sample. On the other hand, there are slight positive change on transition martensitic transformation, thermal hysteries ( As−Ms) there are reduction in degress from 50°C (untreated sample) to (36.9, 33.6)°C, while for martensitic transformation ( Af−Mf) the degress are decrease from (65)°C for untreated sample to (57.5, 51.7)°C wave length respectively.

Surface-Functionalized Boron Nanoparticles with Reduced Oxide Content by Nonthermal Plasma Processing for Nanoenergetic Applications.

The development of an in situ nonthermal plasma technology improved the oxidation and energy release of boron nanoparticles. We reduced the native oxide layer on the surface of boron nanoparticles (70 nm) by treatment in a nonthermal hydrogen plasma, followed by the formation of a passivation barrier by argon plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) using perfluorodecalin (C10F18). Both processes occur near room temperature, thus avoiding aggregation and sintering of the nanoparticles. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM), high-angular annular dark-field imaging (HAADF)-scanning TEM (STEM)-energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) demonstrated a significant reduction in surface oxide concentration due to hydrogen plasma treatment and the formation of a 2.5 nm thick passivation coating on the surface due to PECVD treatment. These results correlated with the thermal analysis results, which demonstrated a 19% increase in energy release and an increase in metallic boron content after 120 min of hydrogen plasma treatment and 15 min of PECVD of perfluorodecalin. The PECVD coating provided excellent passivation against air and humidity for 60 days. We conclude in situ nonthermal plasma reduction and passivation lead to the amelioration of energy release characteristics and the storage life of boron nanoparticles, benefits conducive for nanoenergetic applications.

Improving the performance of crystalline Si solar cell by high-pressure hydrogenation* *Project supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 62075044), the Shanghai Science and Technology Committee, China (Grant No. 18JC1411500), and the CIOMP–Fudan University Joint Foundation (Grant No. FC2017-001).

We report an approach of high-pressure hydrogenation to improve the performance of crystalline Si (c-Si) solar cells. As-received p-type c-Si wafer-based PN junctions were subjected to high-pressure (2.5 MPa) hydrogen atmosphere at 200 °C, followed by evaporating antireflection layers, passivation layers, and front and rear electrodes. The efficiency of the so prepared c-Si solar cell was found to increase evidently after high-pressure hydrogenation, with a maximal enhancement of 10%. The incorporation of hydrogen by Si solar cells was identified, and hydrogen passivation of dangling bonds in Si was confirmed. Compared to the regular approach of hydrogen plasma passivation, the approach of high-pressure hydrogenation reported here needs no post-hydrogenation treatment, and can be more convenient and efficient to use in improving the performances of the c-Si and other solar cells.

Optical and structural analysis of ultra-long GaAs nanowires after nitrogen-plasma passivation

The structural and optical properties of individual ultra-long GaAs nanowires (NWs) were studied after different nitrogen passivation process conditions. The surface morphology of the NWs after passivation was characterized by high resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and high angle annular dark field (HAADF) imaging. Electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) confirmed the presence of nitrogen on the NW surface. Micro-photoluminescence (μ-PL) on single NWs indicated an increase of the luminescence intensity upon passivation. This work reveals the efficacy of a plasma passivation process on complex nanometer-scale morphologies.

On the formation of black silicon in SF6-O2 plasma: The clear, oxidize, remove, and etch (CORE) sequence and black silicon on demand

Black silicon (BSi or silicon micro/nanograss) is a frequently encountered phenomenon in highly directional etching of silicon using mainstream plasma etch tools. The appearance of BSi in most studies is considered to be caused by micromasks unintentionally present on the silicon surface that locally prevent silicon from etching. Particularly, under highly directional and selective plasma etch conditions, these chaotically arranged micromasks develop into tall grasslike structures that will absorb incoming light and make the etched silicon appear black. There are many different sources that might contribute to the formation of BSi. Most of them can be prevented by proper pretreatment of the surface and careful control of the etch parameters. However, the masking related to the in situ plasma passivation (typically FC- or O-species) and insufficient ion etching of this layer causing residues at horizontal surfaces remains a resilient issue that is difficult to control or predict. This study is built on a recently developed highly directional etch procedure called CORE (meaning Clear, Oxidize, Remove, and Etch) in which the usual FC inhibitor of the Bosch process is replaced by oxygen. Due to the self-limiting property of the oxidation step, the formation and controllability of BSi in the CORE sequence is different from how BSi presents itself in the FC-based sequences. In this work, the effects of different process parameters on the creation of masks and formation of BSi are carefully investigated. The authors show that the time in the removal (R) step of the passivating oxide layer in tight combination with the undercut time in the isotropic etch (E) step are the most important parameters to consider. By manipulating these two parameters and utilizing the self-limiting property of the oxidation (O) step, the CORE process can easily be modified to create either BSi-full or BSi-free surfaces independent of the aspect ratio of the etching features. The latter distinguishes the BSi formation clearly from other directional processes. The proposed CORE process thus provides the authors a versatile tool for creating BSi anywhere anytime or—as we call it—“BSi on Demand.”

Effect of substrate surface roughness on properties of cold-sprayed copper coatings on SS316L steel

The development of thick pure copper coatings on SS316 substrates with desired properties for Tokamaks is still a challenging task. The solution to this task can help to fulfill the demanding requirements of in-vessel materials for plasma passivation. In the present work, the effect of substrate surface roughness on several properties of cold-sprayed copper coatings was investigated. Effect of post-heat-treatment on the properties of the developed coatings was also studied. The developed coatings were characterized using various techniques viz.; scanning electron microscopy/energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy, microhardness, nanoindentation, electrical and thermal conductivity measurements, and density and porosity analyses. The novelty of the article includes in-situ micro-tensile testing of the developed coatings to understand their fracture mechanism, which showed multi-crack failure. Moreover, the cracks were found to be originating from the multi-splat boundary junctions, followed by growth along the splat boundaries. Additionally, γ-rays and heavy-nuclei irradiation along with thermal cyclic exposure studies were also performed to elucidate the actual environmental performance of the coatings. The coatings developed on the mirror-finished surface were found to have better mechanical and physical properties as compared to the coatings developed on the rough substrate surface; prior as-well-as post-heat-treatment.

Interfacial traps and mobile ions induced flatband voltage instability in 4H-SiC MOS capacitors under bias temperature stress

Bias temperature stresses (BTSs) are critical factors that cause severe threshold voltage (Vth) instability in silicon carbide (SiC) metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) devices. In this work, we studied the behavior of flatband voltage (Vfb) instability in 4H-SiC MOS capacitors under various BTSs from low temperature (LT) to high temperature (HT) considering the combined effects of interfacial traps and mobile ions. Results showed that nitrogen and nitrogen–hydrogen plasma passivation improved the Vfb instability. The initial sweeping gate voltage determined the direction of Vfb shift. BTSs from LT to HT induced different capacitance–voltage hysteresis characteristics. The Vfb shift was further separated according to the contribution of the interface trapped, oxide trapped, and mobile ionic charges. At LT, the charge trapping dominated the shift behavior. The interface trap density was also extracted by another high-frequency and quasi-static method, which was the same as the separated interface trap density at 100 K, confirming the separation correctness of Vfb shift. At room temperature, charge trapping and mobile ions with very weak mobility contributed to the Vfb shift. At HT, mobile ions that counteracted the charge-trapping effect determined the Vfb shift, although the additional traps were activated in the interface and oxide. Physical models of Vfb instability under different temperature stresses were proposed. Finally, we chose the 100 K, 273 K, and 423 K to analyze gate bias stresses and stress time induced Vfb instabilities as well as their mechanisms.

Plasma passivation of near-interface oxide traps and voltage stability in SiC MOS capacitors

Near-interface oxide traps severely affect the voltage stability of silicon carbide metal-oxide-semiconductor devices. In this work, electron cyclotron resonance microwave nitrogen plasma and electron cyclotron resonance microwave nitrogen-hydrogen-mixed plasma were used to passivate near-interface oxide traps in silicon carbide metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors. An improved low-temperature midgap voltage drift method was proposed to evaluate the voltage stability of silicon carbide metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors. Results showed that the effect of passivating near-interface oxide traps and voltage stability could be improved by increasing the nitrogen passivation time. However, excessive nitrogen passivation created deep-level interface traps that degraded the interface quality, and a small amount of hydrogen could passivate the deep-level traps produced by the excess nitrogen. As a result, the samples subjected to the passivation process with the nitrogen-hydrogen-mixed plasma had a smaller flat-band voltage drift and more stable carbide metal-oxide-semiconductor capacitors than the samples subjected to nitrogen plasma. However, the excessive introduction of hydrogen also produced additional defects, consequently making the stability of the metal-oxide-semiconductor devices sensitive to the time of the passivation process by nitrogen-hydrogen-mixed plasma. Therefore, the suitable time of mixed plasma passivation is crucial to the improvement of the stability of devices.

Passivation Effect on ZnO Films by SF6 Plasma Treatment

The passivation effects of SF6 plasma on zinc oxide (ZnO) films prepared by magnetron sputtering were researched. After the SF6 plasma passivation of ZnO films, the grain size increases, there is low surface roughness, and a small amount of Zn-F bonds are formed, resulting in the narrowing of band gap. The photoluminescence (PL) intensity of SF6-passivated ZnO films has a 120% increase compared to the untreated samples, and the reduction in defects can increase the resistivity and stability of ZnO films. ZnO films are used in the preparation of ZnO/p-Si heterojunction diodes. The results of the measurement of current voltage (J–V) show that the reverse current is reduced after SF6 plasma passivation, indicating an improvement in the electrical properties of ZnO films.