SIO2 FILM THICKNESS METROLOGY BY X-RAY PHOTOELECTRON-SPECTROSCOPY

Silicon dioxide films grown by industrial thermal furnace, rapid therm al, and low-pressure thermal methods were measured by x-ray photoelect ron spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), spectroscopi c ellipsometry, and capacitance-voltage analysis. Based on TEM measure ments, the photoelectron effective attenuation lengths in the SiO2 and Si are found to be 2.96+/-0.19 and 2.11+/-0.13 nm, respectively. The oxide physical thicknesses (range from 1.5 to 12.5 nm) as measured by all above techniques are in good agreement. The electrical thickness i s noted to be slightly thicker than the physical thickness. (C) 1997 A merican Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(97)01845-7].