Surface treatment for silicon substrates
AssigneeAT&T Corp.
InventorsJohn E. Cunningham, Keith W. Goossen, William Y. Jan, James A. Walker
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Abstract
A method for desorbing the surface oxide on a silicon substrate is performed by implanting particles such at atomic or ionic hydrogen into the oxide layer on the silicon substrate. The oxide is then removed by breaking the bonds between the silicon and oxygen atoms within the oxide. The bonds may be broken by heating the substrate, for example. The temperature to which the substrate must be raised is substantially less than the temperature required to desorb an oxide layer that has not undergone an implantation step. In one particular example, the particles implanted into the oxide surface are hydrogen ions generated by electron cyclotron resonance.
Claims16
A method of preparing a silicon substrate comprising the steps of:
- implanting particles into an oxide layer on a silicon substrate;
- and then
- breaking bonds between silicon and oxygen atoms in the oxide layer by heating at a temperature below approximately 825.degree. C. until the oxide layer has been substantially removed from the surface.
A method of desorbing a silicon substrate comprising the steps of:
- applying a particle flux to an oxide layer on a silicon substrate without completely removing the oxide layer;
- and then
- removing the oxide layer by heating the substrate to a temperature below approximately 825.degree. C.
A method of preparing a silicon substrate to serve as a substrate for epitaxial growth, said method comprising the steps of:
- applying a particle flux to an oxide layer on the silicon substrate without completely removing the oxide layer;
- and then
- heating the surface to a temperature sufficient to desorb the oxide layer, said temperature being less than a temperature needed to thermally desorb the substrate without having applied a particle flux to the oxide.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.