Influence of thermal oxidation on the interfacial properties of ultrathin strained silicon layers

In this work we examine the influence of thermal oxidation on the electrical characteristics of ultra-thin strained silicon layers grown on relaxed Si_0.78Ge_0.22 substrates under moderate to high thermal budget conditions in N₂O ambient at 800 °C. The results reveal the presence of a large density of interfacial traps which depends on the oxidation process. As long as the strained silicon layer remains between the growing oxide and the underlying Si_0.78Ge_0.22 layer, the density of interface traps increases with increasing oxidation time. When the oxidation process consumes the s-Si layer the interface state density undergoes a significant reduction of the order of 40%. This experimental evidence signifies that the strained silicon-Si_0.78Ge_0.22 interface is a major source of the measured interfacial defects. This situation can be detected only when the front SiO₂-strained silicon interface and the rear strained silicon-Si_0.78Ge_0.22 interface are in close proximity, i.e. within a distance of 5 nm or less. Finally, the influence of the material quality deterioration-as a result of the thermal treatment-to the interfacial properties of the structure is discussed.