Interfacial solid phase reactions in cobalt/aluminum oxide/silicon(001) system

• Published in: Thin solid films 2010-08, Vol.518 (21), p.5992-5994
• Main Authors: Raïssi, M., Vizzini, S., Langer, G., Rochdi, N., Oughaddou, H., Coudreau, C., Nitsche, S., D'Avitaya, F. Arnaud, Aufray, B., Lazzari, J.-L.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Alumina; Aluminum oxide; Annealing; Asymmetry; Auger Electron Spectroscopy; Cobalt; Condensed matter: structure, mechanical and thermal properties; Diffusion; Diffusion barriers; Diffusion; interface formation; Exact sciences and technology; Metal-Insulator-Semiconductor Structure; Oxides; Physics; Reactivity; Secondary neutral Mass Spectroscopy; Silicon; Solid phases; Solid surfaces and solid-solid interfaces; Structure and morphology; thickness; Surfaces and interfaces; thin films and whiskers (structure and nonelectronic properties); Thin film structure and morphology; Thin films
• ISSN: 0040-6090; 1879-2731
• DOI: 10.1016/j.tsf.2010.05.126

Auger electron spectroscopy, secondary neutral mass spectrometry and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy were used to assess the chemical, morphological and structural modifications after annealing of cobalt/aluminum oxide/silicon(001) hetero-structure. The results show that the aluminum oxide forms a diffusion barrier for temperatures lower than 200 °C. Beyond this temperature, cobalt atoms diffuse in the silicon region without apparent modification of the barrier. At 340 °C, the asymmetric diffusion could be explained by the formation of an AlCoO complex oxide playing the role of a diffusion barrier for Si atoms.