The Improvement of Surface Roughness of Poly-<tex>$Si_{1-x}Ge_x$</tex>Thin Film Using Ar Plasma Treatment

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J. Korean Ceram. Soc. > Volume 34(11); 1997 > Article

Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society 1997;34(11): 1121.

아르곤 플라즈마처리에 의한 다결정 $Si_{1-x}Ge_x$박막의 표면거칠기 개선

이승호, 소명기

강원대학교 재료공학과

The Improvement of Surface Roughness of Poly-$Si_{1-x}Ge_x$Thin Film Using Ar Plasma Treatment

ABSTRACT

In this study, the Ar plasma treatment was used to improve the surface roughness of Poly-Si1-xGex thin film deposited by RTCVD. The surface roughness and the resistivity of Si1-xGex thin film were investigated with variation of Ar plasma treatment parameters (electrode distance, working pressure, time, substrate temperature and R.F power). When the Ar plasma treatment was used, the cluster size decreased by the surface etching effect due to the increasing surface collision energy of particles (ion, neutral atom) in plasma under the conditions of decreasing electrode distance and increasing pressure, time, temperature, and R. F power. Although the surface roughness value decreased by the reduction of the cluster size due to surface etching effect, however, the resistivity increased. This may be due to the surface damage caused by the increasing surface collision energy. It was concluded that the surface roughness could be improved by the Ar plasma treatment, while the resistivity was increased by the surface damage on the substrate.

Key words: Poly-$Si_{1-x}Ge_x$, Plasma etching, Surface roughness improvement, Resistivity