EP1109212A2
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Semiconductor structure having a crystalline alkaline earth metal silicon nitride/oxide interface with silicon
Assignee: NXP USA Inc
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Filing: 2000-12-15
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Granted: —
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Expires: 2020-12-15
Abstract
Abstract A semiconductor structure comprises a silicon substrate (10), one or more layers of single crystal oxides or nitrides (26), and an interface (14) between the silicon substrate and the one or more layers of single crystal oxides or nitrides, the interface manufactured with a crystalline material which matches the lattice constant of silicon. The interface comprises an atomic layer of silicon, nitrogen, and a metal in the form MSiN 2 , where M is a metal. In a second embodiment, the interface comprises an atomic layer of silicon, a metal, and a mixture of nitrogen and oxygen in the form MSi[N 1-x O x ] 2 , where M is a metal and X is 0≤X<1.
Inventors
- 👤 Zhiyi Jimmi Yu
- 👤 Alexander Demdov
- 👤 Jun Wang
- 👤 Jerald Allan Hallmark
- 👤 Ravindranath Droopad
- 👤 Jamal Ramdani
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
EP
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-28 12:42
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10P; H10P14/00; H10P14/20; H10P14/60; H10P14/69; H10P14/692; H10P14/6921; H10P14/6928; H10P14/65; H10P14/6502; H10P14/6506; H10D; H10D1/00; H10D1/60; H10D1/68; H10D1/682; H10D1/684; H10P14/63; H10P14/6326; H10P14/6328; H10P14/6332; H10P14/6334; H10P14/694; H10P14/6943; H10P14/69433
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 26
Claim 1
Independent Claim
61 words
A semiconductor structure characterised by: a silicon substrate; one or more layers of single crystal material; and an interface between the silicon substrate and the one or more layers of single
crystal material, the interface characterised by an atomic layer of a crystalline material
which matches the lattice constant of silicon, the crystalline material characterised by
silicon, nitrogen, and a metal.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
13 words
The semiconductor structure of claim 1 wherein the crystalline material further
comprises oxygen.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
66 words
The semiconductor structure of claim 1 wherein the one or more layers of
single crystal material comprises a nitride layer formed adjacent the interface, the
nitride layer having a first nitrogen atom adjacent and aligned in the <001> direction
with a metal atom in the interface, and having a second nitride atom adjacent and
aligned in the <001> direction with a silicon atom in the interface.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
66 words
The semiconductor structure of claim 1 wherein the one or more layers of
single crystal material comprises an oxide layer formed adjacent the interface, the
oxide layer having a first oxygen atom adjacent and aligned in the <001> direction
with a metal atom in the interface, and having a second oxygen atom adjacent and
aligned in the <001> direction with a silicon atom in the interface.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
72 words
The semiconductor structure of claim 1 wherein the one or more layers of single
crystal material comprises a mixture of oxygen and nitrogen formed adjacent the
interface, having a first nitrogen or first oxygen atom adjacent and aligned in the
<001> direction with a metal atom in the interface, and having a second nitrogen or
second oxygen atom adjacent and aligned in the <001> direction with a silicon atom
in the interface.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
48 words
The semiconductor structure of claim 1 wherein the atomic layer of the interface
comprises the structure including metal atoms, silicon atoms, and X atoms in relative
size from larger to smaller as shown, where X is one of nitrogen atoms or a
combination of nitrogen and oxygen atoms:
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
55 words
The semiconductor structure of claim 1 wherein the interface and the atomic
layer of the silicon substrate adjacent the interface comprises the structure including
metal atoms, silicon atoms, and X atoms in relative size from larger to smaller as
shown, where X is one of nitrogen atoms or a combination of nitrogen and oxygen
atoms:
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
12 words
The semiconductor structure of claim 11 wherein the metal is an alkaline-earth-metal.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
18 words
The semiconductor structure of claim 8 wherein the alkaline-earth-metal is
selected from the group of barium and strontium.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
43 words
The semiconductor structure of claim 1 wherein the atomic layer of the
interface comprises: a half of a monolayer of an alkaline-earth-metal; a half of a monolayer of silicon; and a monolayer of one of nitrogen or a combination of nitrogen and oxygen.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
44 words
The semiconductor structure of claim 10 wherein the silicon substrate includes
a layer of silicon atoms adjacent to the interface, each atom of the alkaline-earth-metal
in the atomic layer of the interface being substantially equally spaced from four
silicon atoms in the silicon substrate.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
38 words
The semiconductor structure of claim 11 wherein the interface comprises rows
of atoms in a 2x1 configuration on a (001) surface of the silicon substrate, 1x in the
< 1 10> direction and 2x in the <110> direction.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
29 words
The semiconductor structure of claim 10 wherein the silicon atoms in the
interface are substantially on a line and equally spaced between the alkaline-earth-metal
atoms in the <110> direction.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
76 words
The semiconductor structure of claim 1 wherein the crystalline material further
comprises oxygen and each silicon atom in the layer of atoms in the silicon substrate
adjacent to the interface is bonded to a nitrogen or oxygen atom in the interface and
each silicon atom in the interface is bonded to two atoms in the interface, the two
atoms being one of two nitrogen atoms, two oxygen atoms, or one nitrogen atom and
one oxygen atom.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
13 words
The semiconductor structure of claim 11 wherein the interface has a 2x1
reconstruction.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
36 words
A semiconductor structure comprising: a silicon substrate having a surface; a material; and a layer comprising MSiN 2 forming an interface between the surface of the
silicon substrate and the material, where M is a metal.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
14 words
The semiconductor structure of claim 16 wherein the layer is a single atomic
layer.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
12 words
The semiconductor structure of claim 17 wherein the metal comprises an
alkaline-earth-metal.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
18 words
The semiconductor structure of claim 18 wherein the alkaline-earth-metal is
selected from the group of barium and strontium.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
57 words
The semiconductor structure of claim 16 wherein the material comprises an
nitride layer formed adjacent the interface, the nitride layer having a nitrogen atom
adjacent and aligned in the <001> direction with a metal atom in the interface, and
having an nitrogen atom adjacent and aligned in the <001> direction with a silicon
atom in the interface.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
31 words
The semiconductor structure of claim 16 wherein the atomic layer of the interface
comprises the structure including metal atoms, silicon atoms, and nitrogen atoms in
relative size from larger to smaller:
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
42 words
The semiconductor structure of claim 16 wherein the atomic layer of the
interface and the atomic layer of the silicon substrate adjacent the interface comprises
the structure including metal atoms, silicon atoms, and nitrogen atoms in relative size
from larger to smaller:
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
46 words
The semiconductor structure of claim 1 wherein the atomic layer of the
interface comprises the structure including metal atoms, silicon atoms, and X atoms in
relative size from larger to smaller, where X is one of nitrogen atoms or a combination
of nitrogen and oxygen atoms.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
53 words
The semiconductor structure of claim 1 wherein the interface and the atomic layer
of the silicon substrate adjacent the interface comprises the structure including metal
atoms, silicon atoms, and X atoms in relative size from larger to smaller, where X is
one of nitrogen atoms or a combination of nitrogen and oxygen atoms.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
31 words
The semiconductor structure of claim 16 wherein the atomic layer of the interface
comprises the structure including metal atoms, silicon atoms, and nitrogen atoms in
relative size from larger to smaller.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
42 words
The semiconductor structure of claim 16 wherein the atomic layer of the
interface and the atomic layer of the silicon substrate adjacent the interface comprises
the structure including metal atoms, silicon atoms, and nitrogen atoms in relative size
from larger to smaller.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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