NONDESTRUCTIVE CHARACTERIZATION OF SIMOX STRUCTURES

In this paper we show how the technique of microscope-spectrophotometr y (MSP) may be used to characterize SIMOX structures nondestructively. A range of SIMOX materials prepared using various implantation condit ions were investigated. The structural parameters elucidated using MSP included: silicon overlayer and buried oxide thicknesses; approximate densities of silicon islands in the buried oxide layer and silicon di oxide islands in the silicon overlayer as appropriate. These results c ompared favourably with those obtained using XTEM and indicates that M SP is a reliable technique for the nondestructive, three dimensional c haracterization of complex multi-layer structures. Furthermore, the te chnique is capable of examining very small areas (1 mu m) which should enable device structures and local inhomogeneities to be characterize d.