Electrical characteristics and hydrogen concentration of chemical vapor deposited silicon dioxide films: Effect of water treatment

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Abstract
The effect of exposing chemical vapor deposited silicon dioxide directly to water has been investigated. Unlike the effect of the water-related traps in thermally grown silicon dioxide, the capacitance-voltage (C-V) shift due to diffused-in water molecules is directly observed without using the method of avalanche injection. The resonate nuclear reaction technique with 15N ion beam has been used to measure the hydrogen concentration of water-boiled, as-deposited, and rapid thermal-annealed silicon dioxide films. These depth profiles show that the hydrogen-containing species, that are most likely water molecules, diffuse in and out and redistribute in the as-deposited and rapid thermal-annealed films. These hydrogen depth profiles also indicate that the amount of diffused-in water molecules in the oxide is limited by the solubility of the water in the oxide. The solubility of water in the oxide annealed at high temperatures is found to be significantly lower than that in the as-deposited oxide. It is found that diffused-in water molecules, in order to satisfy the water solubility of the oxide, play a compensating role in controlling the oxide charges. Water molecules would continue to diffuse in, and interact with oxide charges and produce charges with reverse polarity that compensate the existing oxide charges until water solubility is satisfied.