INFRARED-SPECTROSCOPY OF A SILICON SURFACE BOMBARDED BY NITROGEN-IONS

Transmission Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy was used to study the formation of a ripple topology on a silicon surface bombarded by nitrogen ions, together with the formation of silicon nitride, the evo lution of its composition and structure. For the first time, an attemp t is made to study the evolution of the formation of a ripple topology on the surface of silicon by analyzing the main spectral characterist ics (amplitude, position, and profile) of the infrared absorption band s. It is shown that the change in the profile of the characteristic ab sorption band and the position of its peak correlate with the characte ristics of formation of the ripples on the silicon surface. It is demo nstrated that infrared transmission spectroscopy can be used to study surface structuring processes for semiconductors bombarded by ions of chemically active elements. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics. [S 1063-7850(98)02103-X].