X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy study of rapid thermal annealed silicon–silicon oxide systems

We present the results of an investigation on the effects of rapid thermal annealing (RTA) temperature (Tp) and time (tp) on the structural and electrical properties of silicon–silicon oxide systems. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) was used to provide information on the oxide composition of the annealed oxide sample. We found that a higher Tp and/or a longer tp will increase the percentage of SiO2 in the annealed oxide layer and thus improve the oxide quality. We also discovered that increasing Tp and/or tp will result in a thicker oxide layer. The suboxide density calculation based on the XPS results indicates that the Si–SiO2 interface of our RTA samples is not abrupt. We have used the conclusions obtained from the XPS study to provide satisfactory explanations for the different current versus voltage characteristics exhibited by our tunnel diodes.