A Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Investigation of Spherosiloxane Clusters on Silicon Surfaces

本研究项目的重点是一套扫描隧道显微镜（STM）实验采用离散分子的氢，硅，氧（H8 Si 8 O 12和H10 Si 10 O 15）。STM-尖端/簇/硅相互作用在这些研究的核心是大致类似于金属氧化物半导体（MOS）电容器。然而，所提出的模型具有可控的耦合之间的“金属”（STM-尖端）和“氧化物”（集群）。在这些研究中，绝缘体的结构可以独立地确定到比实际MOS电容器中的绝缘体更大的程度。这些研究结果将为理解器件界面的STM图像和导致器件失效的氢-硅键断裂事件的基本机制提供基础。了解结构和故障机制是优化下一代微电子器件晶体管的关键。硅/氧化硅界面是现代晶体管的关键部分。在过去的十年中，二氧化硅绝缘层的厚度已经缩小了两个数量级以上，现在在最小的研究设备中约为10埃。随着绝缘层的厚度接近分子尺寸，氧化硅的平均化学计量和物理性质发生了重要的变化，为了优化甚至成功地构建下一代硅基晶体管，必须了解这些变化。 在这些领域受过训练的学生很可能在各种通信技术部门的工作中竞争非常激烈。 该研究项目由材料研究部的固态化学计划和化学部的先进材料和加工计划共同支持。

This research project focuses on a set of scanning tunneling microscope (STM) experiments employing discrete molecules of hydrogen, silicon, and oxygen (H8Si8O12 and H10Si10O15). The STM-tip/cluster/silicon interaction at the heart of these studies is roughly analogous to a metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitor. However, the proposed model has a controllable coupling between the "metal" (STM-tip) and "oxide" (cluster). In these studies, the structure of the insulator can be independently determined to a much greater degree than is possible for the insulator in actual MOS capacitors. The results of these studies will provide a foundation for understanding STM images taken of device interfaces and the basic mechanism of the hydrogen-silicon bond breaking event that leads to device failure. Understanding of structure and failure mechanisms are key for optimizing the next generations of transistors for microelectronic devices. The silicon/silicon oxide interface is a crucial part of the modern transistor. Over the past decade, the thickness of the silicon dioxide insulating layer has shrunk by more than two orders of magnitude and is now approximately10 Angstroms in the smallest research devices. As the thickness of the insulating layer has approached molecular dimensions, the average stoichiometry and physical properties of the silicon oxide undergo important changes that must be understood in order to optimize, or even successfully build, the next generations of silicon-based transistors. Students trained in these areas are likely to compete very well for jobs in various communicatons technology sectors. This research project is jointly supported by the Solid State Chemistry Program of the Division of Materials Research and the Advanced Materials and Processing Program of the Chemistry Division.