Selected Publications - 2004:
1) Silicate Layer Formation at Pr2O3/ Si(001) Interfaces
D. Schmeißer*, H.-J. Müssig and J. Dabrowski
IHP Microelectronics, Im Technologiepark 25, 15236 Frankfurt (Oder), Germany
* BTU Cottbus, PF 101344, 03013 Cottbus, Germany
Applied Physics Letters 85(1), 88 (2004)
We studied Pr2O3/Si(001) interfaces by synchrotron radiation photoelectron spectroscopy and by ab initio calculations. We show that the interface formed during molecular-beam epitaxy under the oxygen partial pressure above 1 x 10-8 mbar consists of a mixed Si-Pr oxide, such as (Pr2O3)(SiO)x(SiO2)y. Neither an interfacial SiO2 nor an interfacial silicide is formed. The silicate formation is driven by a low energy of O in PrOSi bond and by the strain in the subsurface SiOx layer. We expect that this natural interfacial Pr silicate will facilitate the integration of the high-k dielectric Pr2O3 into future complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor technologies.