MONOLAYER NITROGEN ATOM INCORPORATION AT BURIED SI-SIO2 INTERFACES - PREPARATION BY REMOTE PLASMA OXIDATION NITRIDATION AND CHARACTERIZATION BY ONLINE AUGER-ELECTRON SPECTROSCOPY/

This paper presents experimental studies in which N-atoms have been in corporated at Si-SiO2 interfaces by forming the interface and oxide fi lm by a 300 degrees C remote-plasma-assisted nitridation/oxidation pro cess using N2O. Process dynamics have been studied by on-line Auger el ectron spectroscopy (AES) by interrupted plasma processing. Based on A ES studies using N2O, O-2 and sequenced N2O and O-2 source gases, reac tion pathways for (i) N-atom incorporation at and/or (ii) removal from buried Si-SiO2 interfaces have been identified, and contrasted with r eaction pathways for nitridation using conventional furnace processing .