Patent US6313016B1 successfully refreshed from Google Patents.
US6313016B1
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Method for producing epitaxial silicon germanium layers
Assignee: OC Oerlikon Balzers AG
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Filing: 1999-12-22
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Granted: 2001-11-06
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Expires: 2019-12-22
Abstract
Abstract A method for producing relaxed epitaxy layers on a semiconductor substrate by an epitaxy process, particularly molecular beam epitaxy, with a hydrogen source, wherein the following steps occur during an in situ process sequence: a hydrogen-containing intermediate layer is deposited on the substrate surface or diffused into the substrate near the surface; a strained epitaxy layer is grown on this intermediate layer; and the epitaxial layer subsequently is relaxed by a temperature treatment. A preferred layer sequence formed according to the above method includes a substrate of silicon with a hydrogen-containing intermediate layer that is deposited thereon or diffused into the substrate surface; a relaxed Si 1−x Ge x epitaxial layer with a germanium concentration of x=0.1 to 0.3 as a first buffer layer; a hydrogen-containing intermediate layer deposited on or diffused into an outer surface of the first buffer layer; a Si 1−x Ge x relaxed epitaxy layer with a germanium concentration of x=0.3 to 0.5 as second buffer layer; and, a Si 1−x Ge x component structure. Additional relaxed Si 1−x Ge x epitaxy layers with increasing germanium concentrations up to a maximum x=1 may be disposed between the second buffer layer and the component structure layer.
Inventors
- 👤 Horst Kibbel
- 👤 Jessica Kuchenbecker
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-31 17:05
CPC Classifications
C; C30; C30B; C30B23/00; C30B23/02; H; H10; H10P; H10P14/00; H10P14/20; H10P14/29; H10P14/2901; H10P14/2902; H10P14/2905; H10P14/32; H10P14/3202; H10P14/3204; H10P14/3211; H10P14/3242; H10P14/3244; H10P14/3254; H10P14/34; H10P14/3402; H10P14/3404; H10P14/3411; H10P14/36
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 15
Claim 1
Independent Claim
131 words
A method for producing relaxed epitaxy layers on a semiconductor substrate by an epitaxy process with a hydrogen source, said method comprising the following steps occurring during an in situ process sequence: (a) forming a hydrogen-containing intermediate layer at a substrate surface by one of deposition of the intermediate layer on the substrate surface and diffusing hydrogen into the substrate near the substrate surface; (b) growing a strained epitaxy layer on the intermediate layer; (c) subjecting the strained epitaxy layer to a temperature treatment; (d) repeating steps (a), (b) and (c) to successively precipitate several relaxed epitaxy layers, using the last formed relaxed epitaxial layer as the substrate, during the in situ process sequence; and, (e) epitaxially growing a component structure layer on the outermost epitaxial layer resulting from step (d).
Claim 2
Independent Claim
131 words
A method for producing relaxed epitaxy layers on a semiconductor substrate by an epitaxy process with a hydrogen source, said method comprising the following steps occurring during an in situ process sequence: (a) forming a hydrogen-containing intermediate layer at a substrate surface by one of deposition of the intermediate layer on the substrate surface and diffusing hydrogen into the substrate near the substrate surface; (b) growing a strained epitaxy layer on the intermediate layer; (c) subjecting the strained epitaxy layer to a temperature treatment; (d) repeating steps (a), (b) and (c) to successively precipitate several relaxed epitaxy layers, using the last formed relaxed epitaxial layer as the substrate, during the in situ process sequence; and, (e) epitaxially growing a component structure layer on the outermost epitaxial layer resulting from step (d).
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of forming comprises diffusing a diffusion layer into the substrate surface through one of thermal and plasma-supported inward diffusion of hydrogen.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
36 words
The method according to claim 2 , wherein the concentration of inward diffused hydrogen at the substrate surface reaches a maximum concentration in the order of magnitude of 10 19 to 10 21 cm −3 .
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of forming comprises depositing a thin intermediate layer with high hydrogen concentration on the substrate surface through reactive epitaxy and the admixture of hydrogen.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
24 words
The method according to claim 4 , wherein the intermediate layer is deposited with a thickness between several atomic layers up to 10 nm.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
39 words
The method according to claim 4 , wherein the concentration of hydrogen in the deposited intermediate layer reaches the order of magnitude of 10 13 to 10 14 cm −2 (or 10 19 to 10 21 cm −3 ).
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
25 words
The method according to claim 1 , wherein the step of forming comprises producing the intermediate layer through a mono-atomic film on the substrate surface.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
28 words
The method according to claim 7 , wherein the mono-atomic film reaches a concentration in the order of magnitude of 10 14 to 10 15 cm −2 .
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
22 words
The method according to claim 1 , wherein the temperature treatment is carried out in the range or 450 to 650° C.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
34 words
The method according to claim 1 , wherein one of a low-energy plasma and an H/H 2 molecular beam source is used as the hydrogen source for the precipitation of the hydrogen-containing intermediate layer.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
20 words
The method according claim 1 , wherein the semiconductor substrate consists of one of silicon and an optional SiGe alloy.
Claim 13
Independent Claim
191 words
A method for producing relaxed epitaxial layers on a semiconductor substrate by an epitaxy process with a hydrogen source, said method comprising the following steps occurring di an in situ process sequence: (a) forming a hydrogen-containing intermediate layer at a surface of a substrate, consisting of one of silicon and an optional SiGe alloy, by one of deposition of the intermediate layer on the substrate surface and diffusing hydrogen into the substrate near the substrate surface; (b) growing a stained epitaxial layer of Si 1−x Ge x on the intermediate layer; (c) subjecting the strained epitaxial layer to a temperature treatment to form a relaxed Si 1−x Ge x epitaxial layer; (d) repeating steps (a), (b) and (c) to successively precipitate several relaxed Si 1−x Ge x epitaxial layers, using the last formed relaxed Si 1−x Ge x epitaxial layer as the substrate, during the in situ process sequence, with subsequent Si 1−x G x epitaxial layers having an increasing germanium concentration up to x=1; and, (e) epitaxially growing a component structure layer of Si 1−x Ge x on an outer surface of the outermost epitaxial layer resulting from step (d).
Claim 14
Independent Claim
191 words
A method for producing relaxed epitaxial layers on a semiconductor substrate by an epitaxy process with a hydrogen source, said method comprising the following steps occurring di an in situ process sequence: (a) forming a hydrogen-containing intermediate layer at a surface of a substrate, consisting of one of silicon and an optional SiGe alloy, by one of deposition of the intermediate layer on the substrate surface and diffusing hydrogen into the substrate near the substrate surface; (b) growing a stained epitaxial layer of Si 1−x Ge x on the intermediate layer; (c) subjecting the strained epitaxial layer to a temperature treatment to form a relaxed Si 1−x Ge x epitaxial layer; (d) repeating steps (a), (b) and (c) to successively precipitate several relaxed Si 1−x Ge x epitaxial layers, using the last formed relaxed Si 1−x Ge x epitaxial layer as the substrate, during the in situ process sequence, with subsequent Si 1−x G x epitaxial layers having an increasing germanium concentration up to x=1; and, (e) epitaxially growing a component structure layer of Si 1−x Ge x on an outer surface of the outermost epitaxial layer resulting from step (d).
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
31 words
The method according to claim 12 wherein x=0.1 to 0.3 of a first formed of the epitaxial layers and with x=0.3 to 0.5 for a second formed of the epitaxial layers.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
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