Interstitial Oxygen Incorporation into Silicon Substrate during Plasma Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition of Al[sub 2]O[sub 3]

The incorporation of oxygen into a silicon substrate was investigated during the growth of gate oxide. films were grown on -type (100) silicon wafers, at 100°C, using plasma enhanced atomic layer deposition. Methylpyrrolidine alane and capacitively coupled plasma were used as the sources of Al and O, respectively. The interstitial oxygen in the silicon substrate was found by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and the amount of interstitial oxygen found increased when the thickness of was increased. This phenomenon was attributed to the diffusion of oxygen atoms throughout the layer.