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Die Materialklasse der transparenten leitenden Metalloxide (engl. transparent conducting oxides (TCO)) und amorphen oxidischen Dünnschichtsysteme (engl. amorphous oxidic semiconductors (AOS)) sind überaus faszinierend, da sie gegensätzliche physikalische Eigenschaften, wie Transparenz und hohe Leitfähigkeit in sich vereinen. Die zugrunde liegenden physikalischen Mechanismen sind immer noch unklar und werden in dieser Dissertation beleuchtet. Dazu wurde die resonante Photoelektronenspektroskopie (resPES)gewählt, da sie sich in den letzten Jahren als vielseitiges Werkzeug für die detaillierte Untersuchung der elektronischen Struktur und der Identifikation von Defekten ausgezeichnet hat. Im Rahmen dieser Arbeit ergab sie die einmalige Möglichkeit, sowohl hoch qualitative TCO-Einkristalle (ZnO, Ga2O3, In2O3 und SnO2) als auch amorphe oxidische Dünnschichtsysteme (GIZO und SnOx) photeelektronenspektroskopisch zu untersuchen und zu vergleichen. Somit wird gezeigt, dass die elektronische Struktur der Materialklasse der TCO und ihrer korrespondierenden AOS mehr Gemeinsamkeiten aufweisen, als bisher erwartet wurde.
Es zeigt sich, dass die Bandlücke, im eigentlichen Sinne, in der Materialklasse der TCO und AOS nicht existiert. Lokalisierte Zustände füllen den gesamten Bereich dieser Bandlücke aus und reichen zum Teil in das Valenzband (VB) und Leitungsband (CB) hinein. Dies führt dazu, dass es keine, wie bisher gedacht, scharfen Grenzen zwischen lokalisierten und delokalisierten Zuständen gibt. Um dies zu verdeutlichen wird ein neuartiges Modell eingeführt, das aufzeigt, dass die Wechselwirkung von metallischen d- und s-Niveaus in einer Öffnung der d-Schale resultiert. Durch Charge-Transfer (CT)-Mechanismen und weitere Hybridisierung mit metallischen unbesetzten p-Zuständen folgt eine stärkere Lokalisierung. Die Diskussion wird begonnen mit der Klärung der Elementeverhältnisse der untersuchten Materialsysteme. Darauf folgt die Charakterisierung von intrinsischen Defekten und ihren Beiträgen auf die elektronische Struktur. Abschließend werden die elektronischen Strukturen der AOS mit denen der korrespondierenden TCO verglichen.
The method of microscopic imaging using X-rays and diffractive lenses was developed at synchrotron radiation facilities and it was recently transferred to systems with laboratory X-ray sources. The first part of this thesis focuses on instrumentation, in particular on the fabrication, characterization, and application of multilayer Laue lenses (MLL). The second part describes a micromechanical in-situ test that is used to study crack propagation with X-ray microscopy in microchips in a dedicated fracture mechanics experiment called micro double cantilever beam test (MicroDCB).
MLLs were fabricated from WSi2/Si multilayer coatings using mechanical preparation and focused ion beam milling. Initial characterization of the obtained lenses using scanning electron microscopy and X-ray microscopy was used to evaluate the quality of the multilayer stack and particularly to identify geometrical imperfections of individual lens elements. Crossed partial MLLs were assembled as a compact lens device for two-dimensional operation, i.e. point focusing of synchrotron radiation or full-field transmission imaging. The optical properties were simulated using a geometrical optics approximation and a physical optics model. Experimental results verify full-field imaging using crossed partial MLLs with a focal length of 8.0 mm for Cu-Ka radiation in a laboratory X-ray microscope. Sub-100 nm resolution is shown and remaining aberrations are discussed. So-called wedged MLLs employ dynamic diffraction to increase the diffraction efficiency. A fabrication process is presented that allows a subsequent geometrical modification of the lens element using a stress layer. Thus, the wedged geometry is realized independently of the multilayer coating. The resulting layer tilt is measured using a laboratory X-ray microscope. First investigations of such wedged MLLs with synchrotron radiation at a photon energy E=15.25 keV show an enhancement of the diffraction efficiency of 57 % in comparison to a tilted MLL with the same dimensions.
The long working distance of the X-ray microscope facilitates the integration of customized equipment to perform in-situ experiments. The MicroDCB tester was designed and built to drive a crack in an appropriately prepared specimen. It is compatible with the X-ray microscope and it allows tomographic studies under load. In particular, the method was applied to investigate crack propagation in the on-chip interconnect stack of advanced microelectronics products. Stable crack propagation at this location was achieved. Subsequent tomographies were acquired at several load steps. The reconstructed datasets show no critical distortions. This test is assumed to provide valuable information about crack propagation such heterogeneous structures, what is of interest to address reliability issues.
In-situ study of crack propagation in patterned structures of microchips using X-ray microscopy
(2023)
The motivation of this thesis was to control crack steering into regions of engineered 3D-nanopatterned structures with high fracture toughness and to determine the local critical energy release rate for crack propagation in 3D-nanopatterned systems. On-chip copper interconnect structures of advanced microchips, insulated by organosilicate glasses, were chosen as an example system to study fracture on small scale, since this is a well-defined 3D- nanopatterned system and since a high mechanical robustness is requested for microchips. An experiment for in-situ high-resolution 3D imaging of the fracture behavior of 3D-nanopatterned structures and of the kinetics of microcrack propagation in solids was designed and applied, combining a miniaturized micromechanical test and high-resolution X-ray imaging. Particularly, a miniaturized piezo-driven double cantilever beam test set-up (micro- DCB) was integrated in a laboratory X-ray microscope, and nano X-ray computed tomography was applied for high-resolution 3D imaging of the microcrack evolution in the on-chip interconnect stack of microchips manufactured in the 14 nm technology node. The measured geometry of the microcrack at several loading steps during the micro-DCB test and the subsequent data analysis based on linear elastic fracture mechanics and the Euler-Bernoulli beam model were the basis for the development and application of a new methodology to determine the critical energy release rate for crack propagation in sub- 100 nm regions of a processed wafer quantitatively. It was experimentally proven that specially designed metallic guard ring structures at the rim of the microchips dissipate energy in such a way that the microcrack propagation is efficiently slowed down and eventually stopped, i.e. they are effective to prevent mechanical damage of microchips. It was demonstrated that it is possible to steer the microcrack in a controlled way by tuning the fracture mode mixity locally at the crack tip. The established concept for a controlled crack propagation provides the basis for further fundamental studies of the fracture behavior of nanoscale materials and structures. The results have significant effects for the understanding of fracture mechanics at small scales, e.g. in microchips, but also in other nanopatterned materials, e.g. in bio-inspired, hierarchically structured engineered materials. The experimental results gathered at realistic microelectronic products provide valuable information to control the crack path in on-chip interconnect stacks for design-for-reliability in semiconductor industry and to manufacture mechanically robust microchips in leading-edge technology nodes. The experimental study of controlled microcrack steering into regions with high fracture toughness provides knowledge for the design of guard ring structures in microchips to stop the propagation of microcracks, e.g. generated during the wafer dicing process.
Role of substrates morphology and chemistry in ALD HfO₂ on Si(111)-H terminated surfaces as model
(2017)
This work presents an approach to investigate fundamental aspects concerning the early stage of the atomic layer deposition (ALD) growth process on stepped surfaces. The first interaction between precursors and surface is strongly important for the ALD growth that it is still far away from the status to be completely understood.
For this purpose, a few ALD-cycles withtetrakis(dimethylamido)hafnium (TDMAH) and trimethylaluminum (TMA) as metallic precursors and water (H₂O) as oxidant has been performed in order to study the initial metal oxide film growth on stepped surfaces such as silicon Si(111)-H terminated, highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) and silver deposited HOPG (Ag-HOPG). These investigations have been carried out at various substrate temperatures, where scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) has been used systematically to probe the ALD features. This technique is delivering unique knowledge about the locality and the density of nucleation’s sites on the different substrates. The data collected are then subjected to a mathematical model to understand the growth and to determine the effect of the surface morphology and chemistry on the behavior of the nucleation.
The in-situ cycle-by-cycle STM investigation of 4 initial ALD cycles of TDMAH and H₂O on Si(111)-H terminated at room temperature (RT) and at 280°C displays two regimes of growth: In Regime I (1st - 2nd cycle) an increase in roughness in the first cycle to 0.2nm and 0.34nm respectively for RT and 280°C with a partial surface coverage of 71% and 54% is observed. In the 2nd cycle, the coverage increased to ~98% and 94% maintaining the same film height of the 1st cycle. A complete layer is formed in this regime. The results are discussed in reference to the Puurunen model. Following this model, the determination of the reaction mechanism in relation to the number of Hf atoms/nm² attached to the surface reveals that two ligands exchanges occur at RT and one ligand exchange at 280°C in the first regime. In addition, the origin of the reaction saturation was determined to be caused by the steric hindrance effect. In this first regime, the growth model is governed by random deposition followed by Mullins diffusion as determined from the universal values found for the roughness dynamic exponents (α, β, 1/z) of the film.
In the framework of this thesis, synchrotron radiation based spectroscopy methods are applied to study the electronic structures of stoichiometric Rutile single crystals and TiO2 thin films, and the initial stage of chromium and cobalt growth on TiO2 thin films. Resonance photoemission spectroscopy of clean TiO2 at the Ti L2,3 edges led to Auger-like features, with kinetic energies corresponding to the Ti L2,3M4,5M4,5 Auger decay channels. The presence of these features is assigned to origin from a d2L2 charge transfer state. The resonance of the Ti L3M2,3V Auger channel at the Ti L2 edge is assigned to the L2L3V Coster-Kronig Auger, followed by the normal L3M2,3V Auger decay. The deposition of chromium on the TiO2 film causes a strong interaction at the interface, in which TiO(2-x) is formed together with chromium in the Cr 3+ state. Besides the oxidized component, contribution of metallic chromium is found as well. In the ultra-low coverage regime, post-deposition oxidation is observed, in which metallic chromium is oxidized to Cr2O3, accompanied by re-oxidation of the substrate to TiO2. The interface reaction is also reflected by the appearance of two defect states in the band gap. Resonant photo-emission at the Cr 2p and Ti 2p edges shows well distinguishable Cr 3d respectively Ti 3d character of the respective states. Indications for self-cleaning properties are found by removal of surface carbon during storage in UHV, but the influence of chromium on these properties is not studied in detail. The interaction between cobalt and TiO2 is weaker than that of chromium and TiO2. Nevertheless, an interface reaction is found, in which some of the deposited cobalt is oxidized, while the oxide support is partly reduced. The particular oxidation state of Cobalt is identified by means of multiplet calculation including charge transfer and crystal field effects. The calculated XAS and XPS spectra indicate Co 2+ in a tetrahedral coordination with four oxygen atoms. The metallic component of cobalt gives rise to a broad resonance in the valence band down to -20 eV, with a pronounced satellite feature that reflects the oxidized component.
In this work, growth and characterisation of 3C-SiC thin films, investigation of oxidation of thus prepared layers and Pr-silicate and AlON based interface with SiC have been studied. Chemical vapor deposition of 3C-SiC thin films on Si(001) and Si(111) substrates has been investigated. Prior to the actual SiC growth, preparation of initial buffer layers of SiC was done. Using such a buffer layer, epitaxial growth of 3C-SiC has been achieved on Si(111) and Si(001) substrates. The temperature of 1100°C and 1150°C has been determined to be the optimal temperature for 3C-SiC growth on Si (111) and Si(001) substrates respectively. The oxidation studies on SiC revealed that a slow oxidation process at moderate temperatures in steps was useful in reducing and suppressing the g-C at the SiO2/SiC interface. Clean, graphitefree SiO2 has been successfully grown on 3C-SiC by silicon evaporation and UHV anneal. For the application of high-k Pr2O3 on silicon carbide, plausible interlayer, Pr-Silicate and AlON, have been investigated. Praseodymium silicate has been prepared successfully completely consuming the SiO2 and simultaneously suppressing the graphitic carbon formation. A comparatively more stable interlayer using AlON has been achieved. This interlayer mainly consists of stable phases of AlN along with some amount of Pr-aluminates and CN. Such layers act as a reaction barrier between Pr2O3 and SiC, and simultaneously provide higher band offsets.
Die vorliegende Arbeit behandelt CuInS2-Filme, die mittels Molekularstrahlepitaxie auf einkristallinen Si- und GaAs-Substraten unterschiedlicher Orientierung abgeschieden wurden. In-situ kamen dabei photoelektronenspektroskopische Analysemethoden und die Beugung niederenergetischer Elektronen zum Einsatz. Ex-situ wurden die Filme mittels Röntgenstrukturanalyse, Ionenrückstreuung und Photolumineszenz untersucht. Zunächst wurde die Bandanpassung des Si(111)/CuInS2(112)-Heteroübergangs bestimmt, wobei die Grenzfläche durch das Auftreten von Fremdphasen und durch Interdiffusion nicht ideal und stark gestört erscheint. Es wurde ein Grenzflächendipol von etwa 1 eV ermittelt. Der Vergleich der chemischen Zusammensetzung an der Filmoberfläche und im Filmvolumen deutet auf einen Konzentrationsgradienten in der Schicht hin. Unabhängig vom Cu/In-Verhältnis wurde eine schwefelarme Oberfläche gefunden. Zudem zeigen Cu-reiche CuInS2-Filme unabhängig von der Substratorientierung ein [112]-orientiertes Wachstum, wogegen im In-reichen Präparationsregime die Kristallorientierung des Substrates übernommen wird.
The chemical and electronic structure of chalcopyrite absorbers with different bulk band gap energies, Egbulk, [i.e., low-gap Cu(In,Ga)Se2 (CIGSe, Egbulk ~ 1.2 eV) and wide-gap CuInS2 (CIS, Egbulk ~ 1.5 eV)] and of buffer/absorber heterointerfaces based on these materials are studied with soft and hard x-ray spectroscopy techniques. Mechanisms that benefit (limit) the performance of low(wide)-gap chalcopyrite-based solar cells are identified. This knowledge is used to develop surface tailoring treatments to optimize buffer/absorber heterointerfaces based on wide-gap chalcopyrites and improve the performance of their solar cells.
Photoemission spectroscopy (PES) characterization of the two absorbers (i.e., CIGSe and CIS) reveal compositional-depth profiles. The changes detected in CIGSe include: a near surface Ga-depletion, a strongly Cu-poor surface and a strong presence of surface Na that (likely) occupies Cu vacancies. A similar Cu-deficiency is found in CIS. The depth-composition changes result in significant widening of the band gap at the surface, Egsurf, (i.e., CIGSe, Egsurf: 1.70 ± 0.2 eV and CIS, Egsurf: 1.88 ± 0.2 eV) as evident by ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) and inverse photoemission spectroscopy (IPES) measurements. Differences in the interaction of the CIGSe and CIS surfaces with deposited buffer materials are identified. PES and modified Auger parameter studies reveal strong intermixing at the CdS/CIGSe and ZnS/CIGSe heterointerfaces. S L2,3 x-ray emission spectroscopy (XES) measurements of CIGSe substrates submitted to CdS chemical bath deposition (CBD-CdS) treatments show the formation of In2S3 and defect-rich/nanostructured CdS at the interface, compounds with higher band gap values than the measured Egsurf for CIGSe. S L2,3 XES spectra of CIGSe substrates submitted to CBD-ZnS treatments reveal the formation of (Zn,In)(S,Se)2 chemical analogs at the interface. PES and XES measurement series show that the CdS/CIS heterointerface is more abrupt, with no detected interface chemical species. Direct measurement of the band alignment of these heterointerfaces reveals: an ideal conduction band offset (CBO) configuration for CdS/CIGSe (i.e., CBO: +0.11 ± 0.25 eV), a spike CBO configuration for ZnS/CIGSe (i.e., CBO: +1.06 ± 0.4 eV), and a highly unfavorable cliff CBO configuration for CdS/CIS (i.e., CBO: -0.42 ± 0.25 eV). The performance of solar cell devices based on these heterointerfaces is correlated to their CBO configuration.
Two surface tailoring approaches intended to correct the CBO configuration of the CdS/CIS heterointerface are presented. One method is based on rapid thermal processing (RTP) selenization treatments of CIS absorbers, aiming to exchange Se for S in treated samples. The idea behind this approach is to modify the surface of a wide-gap chalcopyrite so that it forms a more favorable heterointerface with CdS, such as heterointerfaces within low-gap chalcopyrite devices. X-ray fluorescence analysis and PES measurements of RTP-treated CIS samples show a greater treatment effect at the surface of the sample compared to the bulk (i.e., surface [Se]/[S+Se] range: 0.23 ± 0.05 to 0.83 ± 0.05, compared to bulk [Se]/[S+Se] range: 0.01 ± 0.03 to 0.24 ± 0.03). Tuning of the Cu:In:(S+Se) surface composition from a Cu-poor 1:3:5 to a 1:1:2 stoichiometry is observed in RTP-treated CIS samples with lower to higher surface Se contents, respectively. UPS measurements show a shift in valence band maximum toward the Fermi level in samples with higher surface Se content (i.e., -0.88 ± 0.1 to -0.51 ± 0.1 eV), as expected for a reduction in Egsurf due to exchange of Se for S. Ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometry reveals a reduction in the optical band gap of samples with greater Se incorporation (i.e., from 1.47 ± 0.05 to 1.08 ± 0.05 eV), allowing for a working window for optimization purposes.
The second tailoring method involves surface functionalization of CIS absorbers with dipole-charge-inducing self-assembled monolayers (SAM) of benzoic acid derivatives and thiol molecules. The introduction of dipole charges between a heterointerface can tune the relative alignment of the electronic bands composing its electronic structure; thus, use of a suitable dipole-inducing SAM could correct the CBO misalignment in the CdS/CIS heterointerface. UPS measurements of the secondary electron cut-off region of CIS samples treated with a selected set of SAMs show a work function modulation of CIS (i.e., 4.4 ± 0.2 eV - 5.2 ± 0.2 eV). Small gains in solar cell parameters of solar cells based on SAM-modified heterointerfaces are measured.
An overview of the performance of chalcopyrite(kesterite)-based solar cells in relation to the electronic properties of their corresponding buffer/absorber heterointerface suggests that optimization approaches extending beyond the buffer/absorber heterointerface may be needed for further performance gains in wide-gap chalcopyrite-based solar cell devices.
The chemical and electronic structure of hybrid organometallic (CH₃NH₃PbI₍₃₋ₓ₎Clₓ) and inorganic (CsSnBr₃) perovskite materials on compact TiO₂ (c-TiO₂) is studied using x-ray and electron based spectroscopic techniques. The morphology and local elemental composition of CH₃NH₃PbI₍₃₋ₓ₎Clₓ, used as absorbers in PV devices, defining the film quality and influencing the performance of respective solar cells is studied in detail by using photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM). An incomplete coverage, with holes reaching down to the c-TiO₂ was revealed; three different topological regions with different degrees of coverage and chemical composition were identified. Depending on the degree of coverage a variation in I oxidation and the formation of Pb⁰ in the vicinity of the c-TiO₂ is found. The valence band maxima (VBM) derived from experimental data for the perovskite and c-TiO₂, combined with information from literature on spiro-MeOTAD suggests an energy level alignment resulting in an excellent charge selectivity at the absorber/spiro-MeOTAD and absorber/c-TiO₂ interfaces respectively. Further, the derived energy level alignment indicates a large recombination barrier (~2 eV), preventing shunts due to direct contact between c-TiO₂ and spiro-MeOTAD in the pin-holes.
In-situ ambient pressure hard x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (AP-HAXPES) studies of 60 and 300 nm CH₃NH₃PbI₍₃₋ₓ₎Clₓ have been performed under varies conditions (i.e. vacuum/water and dark/UV light) to gain insight into the degradation mechanism responsible for the short lifetime of the absorber. The 60 nm perovskite forms Pb⁰ in water vapor (non-defined illumination) in presence of x-rays. The 300 nm perovskite sample shows a complex behavior under illumination/dark. In water vapor/dark the perovskite dissolves into its organic (MAI) and inorganic (PbI₂) components. Under illumination PbI₂ further decomposes to Pb⁰ induced by UV light and x-rays.
For alternative inorganic CsSnBr₃ perovskites, the impact of SnF₂ on the chemical and electronic structure is studied to identify its role for the improved performance of the solar cell. HAXPES and lab-XPS measurements performed on CsSnBr₃ with and without SnF₂ indicate two Sn, Cs, and Br species in all samples, where the second Sn species is attributed to oxidized Sn (Sn⁴⁺). When adding SnF₂ to the precursor solution, the coverage is improved and less Sn⁴⁺ and Cs and Br secondary species can be observed, revealing an oxidation inhibiting effect of SnF₂. Additionally, SnF₂ impacts the electronic structure, enhancing the density of states close to the VBM.
Als Modellsystem für gleichrichtende Heterokontakte von Dünnschichtsolarzellen wurden polykristalline ZnO-Filme auf Si mittels Magnetron-Sputtern und metallorganischer Gasstrahldeposition (MOCBD) abgeschieden. Mit Photoelektronenspektroskopie wurden bis zu 3 chemische Grenzflächenkomponenten gefunden: SiOx, eine Willemit-artige Mischphase und reduziertes Zn0. Letzteres kann über die Sputterparameter Bias-Potenzial und O2-Partialdruck kontrolliert werden. Mit MOCBD wurden auf Si(111):H abrupte Heterokontakte präpariert. Ferner tritt an Korngrenzen und der Oberfläche Hydroxid auf. Dies kann durch Heizen entfernt werden. Während der Messungen traten energetische Verschiebungen der Spektren auf, die die Auswertung der Grenzflächenenergetik stören. Zur Erklärung wurde folgendes Modell entwickelt: In einem schnellen Oberflächenprozess findet Photolyse von Hydroxid statt, wodurch H2O oder mobile OH-Gruppen gebildet werden, die Sauerstoffvakanzen ausheilen und so die n-Dotierung vermindern. In einem langsameren Volumenprozess wird durch Photolyse von ZnO die n-Dotierung erhöht.