A Scanning Tunneling Microscopy Investigation of Spherosiloxane Clusters on Silicon Surfaces

本研究项目集中于一组使用氢、硅和氧(H8Si8O12和H10Si10O15)的离散分子的扫描隧道显微镜(STM)实验。这些研究的核心是STM-针尖/团簇/硅的相互作用，大致类似于金属氧化物半导体(MOS)电容器。然而，所提出的模型在“金属”(STM-尖端)和“氧化物”(团簇)之间具有可控的耦合。在这些研究中，绝缘体的结构可以独立确定，其程度远远超过实际MOS电容器中绝缘体的可能程度。这些研究结果将为理解器件界面的STM图像以及导致器件失效的氢硅键断裂事件的基本机制提供基础。了解微电子器件的结构和失效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重要组成部分。在过去的十年里，二氧化硅绝缘层的厚度已经缩小了两个数量级以上，现在最小的研究设备的厚度大约是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比和物理性质经历了重要的变化，必须了解这些变化才能优化甚至成功制造下一代硅基晶体管。在这些领域接受培训的学生很可能会很好地竞争各个通信技术部门的工作。本研究项目由材料研究部固体化学计划和化学部先进材料与加工计划联合资助。

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.