REU/RET Project

Bayardo Alfonso Payan
University: University of Central Florida
Mentor in UCF: Dr. L. Giannuzzi – Mechanical, Materials and Aerospace Engineering

Characterization of Nano Scale Gate Oxides on (100) and (111) Si Substrates

This study was conducted for the sole purpose of analyzing SiO2 on Si substrates. These are some common components in semiconductor gates. Ten samples were received with varying amounts of SiO2 already grown on the substrates. The experiment was to measure the oxide layer on each of the ten samples. Since the SiO2 layers ranged within 8 nanometers of each other, the characterization of the samples required various techniques to be used in order to accurately assess the thickness of the SiO2. Sample preparation for the analysis was extremely important. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used in order to reveal some of the microstructural measurements. The results provided some interesting information on what techniques were best when preparing the samples for TEM characterization.