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HYDROGEN PEROXIDE ETCHING AND STABILITY OF P-TYPE POLY-SIGE FILMS<br />

'B.L. Bircumshaw, 'ML. Wasilik, 'E.B. Kim, 'ER. Su, 2H. Takeuchi, 'C.W. Low, 'G. Liu,<br />

'.'A.P. Pismo, 2T.-.I King, <strong>and</strong> ','R.T. Howe<br />

I<br />

Departments <strong>of</strong> Mechanical Engineering <strong>and</strong> 'Electrical Engineering <strong>and</strong> Computer Sciences<br />

Berkeley Sensor & Actuator Center, University <strong>of</strong> California, Berkeley, CA 94720-1774, USA<br />

ABSTRACT<br />

In this paper, a model is developed for the <strong>etching</strong> <strong>of</strong> as-<br />

deposited, in-situ, boron-doped, LPCVD <strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong> <strong>films</strong><br />

in hydrogen <strong>peroxide</strong>. The model is corroborated by<br />

<strong>etching</strong> results for <strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong> alloys with Ge content<br />

between SS <strong>and</strong> 70%. The results indicate that Ge<br />

content in the 55 to 65% range is desirable for<br />

maintaining high selectivity with respect to <strong>poly</strong>-Ge<br />

sacrificial layers in a <strong>peroxide</strong> etch while attaining a<br />

<strong>poly</strong>crystalline film structure (at ahont 42S'C, 50% Ge<br />

content <strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong> <strong>films</strong> are amorphous). The drift in<br />

residual stress <strong>of</strong> <strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong> <strong>films</strong> at room temperature in<br />

dry <strong>and</strong> wet ambients is also reported. Finally, the<br />

<strong>etching</strong> <strong>of</strong> in-sifu, boron-doped, LPCVD <strong>poly</strong>-Ge <strong>films</strong> in<br />

hydrogen <strong>peroxide</strong> is studied.<br />

1. INTRODUCTION<br />

Polycrystalline silicon-germanium (<strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong>) is a<br />

promising material for the integration <strong>of</strong> surface<br />

micromachined MEMS (microelectromechanical systems)<br />

with electronics. The process flow for <strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong> MEMS<br />

fabrication is similar to that for conventional <strong>poly</strong>-Si MEMS<br />

fabrication. In this case, however, <strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong> replaces <strong>poly</strong>-<br />

Si as the structural material, while <strong>poly</strong>-Ge can serve as the<br />

sacrificial material instead <strong>of</strong> silicon dioxide. This enables<br />

the use <strong>of</strong> hydrogen <strong>peroxide</strong> (H202) as the release etchant<br />

instead <strong>of</strong> hydr<strong>of</strong>luoric acid (HF). Peroxide selectively<br />

etches <strong>poly</strong>-Ge over <strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong>. The selectivity, though, is<br />

dependent on doping conditions <strong>and</strong> the Ge content <strong>of</strong> the<br />

SiCe alloy.<br />

Conventional LPCVD (low pressure chemical vapor<br />

deposition) techniques can be used to deposit conformal<br />

<strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>poly</strong>-Ge <strong>films</strong> at temperatures below 425'C<br />

[1,2]. Consequently, <strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong> MEMS can be micro-<br />

machined on top <strong>of</strong> modem foundry CMOS circuitry.<br />

Furthermore, research by Sedky et al. has shown that Al-<br />

metallized CMOS can be annealed at temperatures up to<br />

525T for 90 minutes without significant harm to the<br />

underlying electronics [3].<br />

Micromachined resonators can exhibit very high<br />

mechanical quality factors. Indeed, unannealed <strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong><br />

MEMS resonators deposited at 425'C have been reported to<br />

have Qs in excess <strong>of</strong> 30,000 [4]. Due to their high Q's,<br />

MEMS resonators arc promising as replacements for discrete<br />

filters <strong>and</strong> oscillators in wireless communications systems<br />

[5,6]. Integrating RF MEMS directly with CMOS promises<br />

to drop parasitic capacitances <strong>and</strong> inductances, as well as<br />

0-7803-8265-X/04/$l7.00 02004 IEEE. 514<br />

reduce fabricationiintegration costs <strong>and</strong> the form factor <strong>of</strong><br />

telecommunications devices.<br />

After reviewing the problem with etch selectivity that<br />

motivated this research, we discuss how Ge content was<br />

determined in our processes. A model for the <strong>peroxide</strong><br />

<strong>etching</strong> <strong>of</strong> in-situ, boron-doped (p-<strong>type</strong>), LPCVD <strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong><br />

is then presented, <strong>and</strong> the etch rate <strong>of</strong> in-situ, boron-doped,<br />

LPCVD <strong>poly</strong>-Ge is tabulated. Finally, the <strong>stability</strong> <strong>of</strong> in-sifu,<br />

boron-doped <strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong> <strong>films</strong> at room temperature is studied<br />

by measuring their average stress in dry <strong>and</strong> wet ambients.<br />

2. SIDEWALL SPACER RF RESONATOR PROCESS<br />

A five-mask, sidewall-spacer process was employed in an<br />

attempt to fabricate <strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong> RF electrostatic resonators<br />

with ultra-narrow gaps (Fig. 1). To remain compatible with<br />

post-CMOS fabrication, all process temperatures were kept<br />

at or helow 425T, with the exception <strong>of</strong> two LTO (low<br />

temperature oxide) depositions at 450'C. Gaps between 80<br />

<strong>and</strong> 100 nm were achieved on 2.4 pm <strong>poly</strong>-SiCe <strong>films</strong><br />

(Fig. 2a). After a one-hour release in 90T hydrogen<br />

<strong>peroxide</strong>, however, the gaps widened precipitously (Fig. 2h).<br />

EEzEz3<br />

*540.Y.J.T0 SD~rn_, ..d,Idll<br />

P*~GIIIP<br />

, *,. , ., ., (.ld"".M ly.ee<br />

, ".(I.. .,<br />

26 &""L-T-Fm.*".i**g.To~<br />

\I" (. cr sa- s"b-.c.<br />

Id $" Lar 7e"ps.(lu. Odd. @To)<br />

3Ln#*C?.N LilicOS.b,ed- 1<br />

Figure I: Cross-seclions <strong>of</strong> the low-temperarure,<br />

sidewall-spacer process employed to fabricate highfrequency<br />

resonators. Poly-<strong>SiGe</strong> is used as the structural<br />

material, while<strong>poly</strong>-Ge is used as the sacrrficial material.


By visual examination <strong>of</strong> Fig. 2, <strong>and</strong> assuming a linear<br />

etch rate, we found that in-situ, boron-doped <strong>poly</strong>-Sio.31Geo.c9<br />

etches at a rate <strong>of</strong> approximately 0.24 pulu (40 kmin).<br />

This etch rate is at least 40 times higher than that reported for<br />

undoped <strong>poly</strong>-Sio.,GeO7 <strong>films</strong> [2,7]. As will he discussed in<br />

Section 4, the etch rate <strong>of</strong> <strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong> is, in fact, non-linear<br />

From the SEMs, in-situ, boron-doped <strong>poly</strong>-Ge was found to<br />

etch at a rate <strong>of</strong> at least 0.5 Wmin; at least 60% faster than<br />

undoped <strong>poly</strong>-Ge [SI.<br />

It is clear from these experimental results that boron<br />

doping greatly enhances the etch rate <strong>of</strong> both <strong>poly</strong>-Ge <strong>and</strong><br />

<strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong> <strong>films</strong> in <strong>peroxide</strong>. This enhancement is greater for<br />

<strong>SiGe</strong> compared to Ge, reducing the selectivity <strong>of</strong> <strong>peroxide</strong> as<br />

a release for boron-doped <strong>SiGe</strong> structures with Ge as the<br />

sacrificial. Moreover, the Ge content <strong>of</strong> the deposited <strong>films</strong><br />

was several atomic percent higher than expected. These<br />

findings indicated the need for us to more fully characterize<br />

our <strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>poly</strong>-Ge <strong>films</strong>.<br />

3. CHARACTERIZING GE CONTENT OF THE<br />

LPCVD POLY-SIGE<br />

Precise control <strong>of</strong> Ge content is critical for <strong>poly</strong>-Sil.,Ge,<br />

MEMS technology. Peroxide etch rate, internal stress,<br />

resistivity, strain gradient, <strong>and</strong> deposition rate are all<br />

dependent to some degree on Ge content.<br />

Unless othenvise stated, all <strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong> <strong>films</strong> described in<br />

this paper were deposited at 425T <strong>and</strong> 400mTorr in a<br />

conventional, horizontal LPCVD furnace. The total gas flow<br />

rate was fixed at 220 sccm, <strong>and</strong> the flow rates <strong>of</strong> SiH4 <strong>and</strong><br />

GeH4 were varied. For in-silu, boron-doped processes, the<br />

B2H6 (10% in H2) flow rate was set at 60 sccm, while for<br />

undoped processes, the N2 flow rate was set at 60 sccm.<br />

Figure 2: Cross-sectional SEMs <strong>of</strong> completed slruclures<br />

fabricated with the sidewall-spacer process @er release in<br />

90%<strong>peroxide</strong> for: I30 seconds (a) <strong>and</strong>one hour (b).<br />

515<br />

To study the dependence <strong>of</strong> Ge content on process<br />

conditions, multiple <strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong> <strong>films</strong> <strong>of</strong> varying Ge content<br />

were deposited, one on top <strong>of</strong> another. After depositions,<br />

SlMS (secondaly ion mass spectrometly) was used to<br />

quantify the atomic composition <strong>of</strong> these multilayer stacks.<br />

For each set <strong>of</strong> process conditions, wafer position<br />

dependence was also examined.<br />

It was found that the Ge content <strong>of</strong> the <strong>films</strong> varied nearly<br />

linearly with the ratio <strong>of</strong> GeH4 to (GeH4 + SiH,) flow rates<br />

over the 62 to 75% Ge content region (Fig. 3). The<br />

difference in Ge content between wafer positions is attributed<br />

to the loading effect inside the furnace.<br />

It is important to note that the Ge contents <strong>of</strong> the <strong>films</strong><br />

used in this paper were determined by curve-fitting the<br />

results in Fig. 3, not direct SlMS analysis <strong>of</strong> each film. The<br />

direct accuracy <strong>of</strong> SIMS analysis for Ge content is about<br />

i 2% (Ge content). The SIMS data indicated that Ge <strong>and</strong>/or<br />

Si interdiffusion took place at the interface hetween different<br />

Ge content <strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong> alloys at 425OC. This phenomenon has<br />

been reported upon in the literature [9]. Despite the<br />

interdiffusion, the multilayer stacks exhibited a stepped<br />

pr<strong>of</strong>ile.<br />

To ensure that the multilayer Ge contents were correct,<br />

SlMS analysis was used to measure the Ge content in single<br />

layer <strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong> <strong>films</strong> deposited under the same conditions as<br />

specific layers <strong>of</strong> the multilayer stacks. The single film <strong>and</strong><br />

multilayer Ge contents were compared <strong>and</strong> found to he in<br />

agreement to within i 1.8% (typically, the agreement was<br />

better than i 0.8%). The discrepancy between the two<br />

measurements is attributed to fluctuations in LPCVD<br />

conditions (flow rates, doping concentrations, temperature,<br />

etc.) <strong>and</strong> Ge interdiffusion in the multilayer <strong>films</strong>.<br />

4. PEROXIDE ETCHING OF POLY-SIGE<br />

Qualitative Observations <strong>of</strong> Peroxide Etching<br />

Peroxide <strong>etching</strong> <strong>of</strong> high Si content (i.e., < 60% Ge content)<br />

<strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong> alloys results in little alteration <strong>of</strong> the original film<br />

for etches under one hour long. Peroxide <strong>etching</strong> <strong>of</strong> high Ge<br />

content <strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong> alloys results in <strong>films</strong> that steadily darken<br />

<strong>and</strong> become more “glassy” (exhibiting reflective properties<br />

<strong>and</strong> coloration common to thin oxides) the longer the <strong>films</strong><br />

are etched (Fig. 4). An HF dip makes the <strong>films</strong> duller,<br />

indicating that the glassy substance has been removed.<br />

Cross-sectional SEMs <strong>of</strong> a <strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong> alloy with<br />

E 74%<br />

E 72% GPE Inlet Position<br />

70%<br />

’ 62%<br />

6 66%<br />

0 64%<br />

60%<br />

0.35 0.40<br />

Flow Ratio[ GeH,I(GeH,+SiH,)l<br />

Figure3: Ge content vs. CeH4 to (GeH4 + SiHJ flow<br />

ratio for in-situ, boron-dopedprocesses.


approximately 66% Ge content that has been etched under a<br />

variety <strong>of</strong> conditions is presented in Fig. Sa-d. A post-<br />

<strong>peroxide</strong> etch HF dip removes the silicon dioxide created<br />

during the H202 etch (compare Figs. 5c <strong>and</strong> 5d). An HF dip<br />

before the H202 etch will enhance <strong>peroxide</strong> <strong>etching</strong> (compare<br />

Figs. 5h <strong>and</strong> 5d).<br />

Fig. 5d appears to indicate that the H202 is attacking<br />

along grain boundaries (spaced several 100 nm apart at this<br />

deposition temperature). The exact mechanism for enhanced<br />

<strong>etching</strong> along grain boundaries <strong>and</strong> along interfacial surfaces<br />

is unknown. From SIMS analysis, however, it is known that<br />

- 66% Ge min<br />

mi" min min<br />

0 30 60<br />

-65%"<br />

- 62% Ge<br />

min<br />

0<br />

mm<br />

30<br />

min<br />

60<br />

-63%'' mill<br />

min<br />

min min<br />

Figure 4: Qualitative assessment <strong>of</strong> the characteristics oj<br />

90°C <strong>peroxide</strong> <strong>etching</strong> <strong>of</strong><strong>films</strong> <strong>of</strong> varying Ge content. The<br />

left-h<strong>and</strong>figure shows the effect <strong>of</strong>vaiying Ge content for<br />

different etch times. The right-h<strong>and</strong> figure provides a<br />

derailed view <strong>of</strong> haw a single film darkens as the etch<br />

proceeds. The schematics below the figures indicate the<br />

approximate Ge content <strong>of</strong>the<strong>films</strong> <strong>and</strong> the amount <strong>of</strong>time<br />

they were etched in H20,. No pre- or post-etch HF dip was<br />

performed on these samples. The <strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong> alloys were<br />

depositedat 450°C <strong>and</strong> 600 mTorr.<br />

10secHF(10:1),3OminH,O, 10secHF(10:1),30minH20,,<br />

lOsecHF(10:l)<br />

Figure 5: Cross-sectional SEMs <strong>of</strong>a <strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong> alloy with<br />

- 66% Ge content before <strong>and</strong> after c1 30 minute immersion<br />

in 90°C H20, with <strong>and</strong> without a preceding HF dip. The<br />

<strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong>film was deposited at 450°C <strong>and</strong> 600 mTorr.<br />

516<br />

the <strong>films</strong> are degenerately boron-doped (- 3~10'~ to 5~10~'<br />

boron atomsicm', with this variation exhibited across the<br />

load). Thus, the grain boundary enhanced <strong>etching</strong> is likely<br />

' due to boron segregation.<br />

It should he noted that a separate injector is used for<br />

introducing B2H6 into our LPCVD furnace. The high degree<br />

<strong>of</strong> cross-load variation in the boron-doping appears to he due<br />

to non-uniformities in the B2H6 flow pr<strong>of</strong>ile resulting from<br />

the condition <strong>of</strong> the current injector.<br />

Proposed Poly-SiCe Etch Mechanism<br />

Previous work had assumed that the etch rate <strong>of</strong> <strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong> in<br />

<strong>peroxide</strong> is linear with respect to time [7,8]. Heck observed<br />

SiOz <strong>and</strong> GeOz growth on the surface <strong>of</strong> <strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong> during<br />

<strong>peroxide</strong> <strong>etching</strong> [SI. He proposed that once the<br />

concentration <strong>of</strong> Si atoms in the surface oxide reached a<br />

critical value (- 50%), the etch would be arrested. For Si<br />

contents below this critical value, he predicted a linear etch<br />

rate with time.<br />

In this paper, we propose an etch mechanism analogous<br />

to the model developed by Deal <strong>and</strong> Grove in 1965 to<br />

explain the thermal oxidation <strong>of</strong> silicon [lo,] I]. Chemically,<br />

the model can be described as follows:<br />

2H202 + <strong>SiGe</strong> + GeO + Si0 + 2Hz0<br />

H2O2 + Si0 -* Si02 + HzO<br />

H2OZ + GeO a GeO, f HZO<br />

HzO + Ge02(s) + H20 + Ge02(aq)<br />

As a strong oxidizer, hydrogen <strong>peroxide</strong> is presumed to<br />

oxidize Si <strong>and</strong> Ge atoms exposed on the surface <strong>of</strong> the <strong>poly</strong>-<br />

<strong>SiGe</strong> film. The Si is converted into Si02 <strong>and</strong> the Ge into<br />

Ge02. While SiOz is stable in H20, Ge02 is water-soluble.<br />

Because <strong>peroxide</strong> is typically available as a saturated<br />

solution <strong>of</strong> 30% H202 <strong>and</strong> 70% H20, the germanium dioxide<br />

is dissolved, leaving behind a porous silicon dioxide film.<br />

Overall, for <strong>films</strong> with high Ge content, material volume is<br />

removed as the Ge02 is dissolved, resulting in the <strong>etching</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />

<strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong> micromachined structures.<br />

At first, the <strong>etching</strong> is reaction-rate limited. However, as<br />

the etch continues, the porous Si02 layer thickens, restricting<br />

the flux <strong>of</strong> reactants to, <strong>and</strong> the flux <strong>of</strong> products from, the<br />

<strong>SiGe</strong>Si02 interface. Hence, the etch rate is diffusion-<br />

limited for long etch times.<br />

Assuming first order kinetics <strong>and</strong> steady state diffusion,<br />

the etch mechanism described by Eqn. 1 can be modeled by a<br />

simple quadratic equation:<br />

where I is time <strong>and</strong> X = X(t) is the thickness <strong>of</strong> removed<br />

material (drop in step height), while A, B, <strong>and</strong> rare constants.<br />

A thin layer <strong>of</strong> Si02 <strong>and</strong> Ge02 is present on <strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong> <strong>films</strong><br />

exposed to oxygen. The time it would take <strong>peroxide</strong> to<br />

create <strong>and</strong> etch this oxide is represented by r.<br />

For short etches, where (t + r)


.<br />

In this regime, the etch rate is proportional to the square root<br />

<strong>of</strong> time, <strong>and</strong> B is the parabolic etch rate constant.<br />

Etch Rate Measurement Method<br />

Single layer, in-situ, boron-doped <strong>poly</strong>-SiCe thin <strong>films</strong> <strong>of</strong><br />

varying Ge content were deposited on single crystal silicon<br />

(SCS) wafers, as well as SCS wafers covered by a 1 to 3 pm<br />

LTO film. The <strong>SiGe</strong> <strong>films</strong> were then patterned<br />

lithographically using reactive ion <strong>etching</strong> (RIE) to create<br />

test structures with twenty 15 pm wide steps, each spaced<br />

15 pm apart. The initial step height was recorded using a<br />

stylus-hued pr<strong>of</strong>ilometer with sub-Angstrom resolution <strong>and</strong><br />

8 A or 0.1% step height repeatability. Due to the high index<br />

<strong>of</strong> refraction <strong>of</strong> high Ge content <strong>films</strong> <strong>and</strong> the high IR (infra-<br />

red) absorption <strong>of</strong> boron, the optical techniques available to<br />

us could not he employed for step height measurements.<br />

Each step height was an average <strong>of</strong> the twenty step<br />

heights <strong>of</strong> the test structure. St<strong>and</strong>ard deviations over the<br />

twenty measurements ranged from I to 10 nm, <strong>and</strong> were<br />

typically on the order <strong>of</strong> 2 to 3 nm. Each wafer was<br />

measured in two to ten different locations.<br />

After the initial step height measurements, the patterned<br />

wafers were dipped in a bath <strong>of</strong> heated <strong>peroxide</strong>. The<br />

temperature <strong>of</strong> the bath was fixed at 90°C using a hotplate,<br />

temperature sensor @laced roughly two inches above the hot<br />

plate), <strong>and</strong> a feedback controller. Additionally, a<br />

thermometer was used to verify the temperature <strong>of</strong> the bath.<br />

Due to the wafer carrier, in nearly all cases, the <strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong><br />

etch structures were exposed to H20, at a temperature<br />

slightly above 90'C (between 90 <strong>and</strong> 96'C, accounting for<br />

fluctuations in temperature).<br />

After a specific timed etch, the wafers were removed <strong>and</strong><br />

washed thoroughly with deionized water. The average step<br />

heights <strong>of</strong> the test structures were recorded, <strong>and</strong> then the<br />

same wafers were placed.hack in the H202 bath for a<br />

specified time. This process was repeated over a total etch<br />

period <strong>of</strong> between 30 minutes <strong>and</strong> one hour.<br />

It is known that <strong>peroxide</strong> decomposes over time [IZ]. It<br />

is therefore critical that we rnle out the possibility <strong>of</strong> our<br />

measurements being affected by this decomposition. The<br />

oxidation <strong>of</strong> Ge <strong>and</strong> dissolution <strong>of</strong> Ge02 does not vary with<br />

<strong>peroxide</strong> concentrations above 5% [13]. Moreover, it is<br />

-<br />

E<br />

I 300 , , I<br />

5 250<br />

.c<br />

._ al<br />

f 200<br />

P<br />

150<br />

._ c<br />

100 1slTesl Best-Fit<br />

._<br />

L<br />

a 0<br />

50 2nd Test Best-Fit<br />

0 500 1000<br />

Time (sec)<br />

1500 2000<br />

Figure 6: Etched material vs. time for a <strong>SiGe</strong> alloy oj<br />

70.3% Ge content.<br />

517<br />

known that a 30% <strong>peroxide</strong> bath heated at 90'C for 20 hours<br />

will maintain an H202 concentration above 5% [SI. All <strong>of</strong><br />

our measurements were taken within 20 hours <strong>of</strong> heating a<br />

fresh <strong>peroxide</strong> bath. However, to ensure that the <strong>peroxide</strong><br />

did not significantly decompose, we topped <strong>of</strong>f the bath with<br />

fresh H202 periodically. Significant etch rate fluctuations<br />

were not observed after refreshing the bath, indicating that<br />

the bath remained effective over the period <strong>of</strong> the tests.<br />

Poly-SEe Etch Results<br />

Fig. 6 is an example <strong>of</strong> one set <strong>of</strong> experimental results, along<br />

with best-fit quadratic models (Eqn. 2). In this case, a wafer<br />

was broken in half <strong>and</strong> tested on two different days. As can<br />

he seen, OUT model fits the ohserved etch phenomena very<br />

well. However, the model does deviate noticeably in the<br />

short term. This is due to the fact that variations in testing<br />

conditions (temperature, precise etch time, placement <strong>of</strong> the<br />

pr<strong>of</strong>ilometer stylus, etc.) are integrated over the etch time.<br />

For short etches, minor fluctuations have a strong effect on<br />

the measurements. For long etches, variations are averaged<br />

together <strong>and</strong> tend to cancel out.<br />

The parabolic <strong>and</strong> linear etch rate constants were<br />

extracted using a least squares quadratic hest fit. In all cases,<br />

the time constant r was set to zero, which is reasonable since<br />

the initial oxide on the steps was on the order <strong>of</strong> 5 to 30 A<br />

thick. The averaged constants are presented in Figs. 7 <strong>and</strong> 8.<br />

1000<br />

m I<br />

3<br />

-<br />

100<br />

$ 10<br />

0 -:<br />

2: 1<br />

.cz<br />

Y C<br />

0.1<br />

._ -<br />

2 0.07<br />

e<br />

h<br />

0,001<br />

i --<br />

o Undoped<br />

55% 60% 65% 70% 759<br />

Ge Content<br />

Figure 7:<br />

The undnped data was extracted from 121<br />

U 0.2<br />

& 0.1<br />

Parabolic etch rate constant, B vs. Ge content.<br />

3<br />

-0.1<br />

55% 60% 65%<br />

Ge Content<br />

70% 75:<br />

Figure 8: Linear etch rate constunt, BIA vs. Ge content.


For <strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong> <strong>films</strong>, the correlation factor (R2) is typically<br />

greater than 80% above 64% Ge content, the correlation<br />

factor is 99% or better. The correlation factor does drop <strong>of</strong>f<br />

as the Ge content falls. This is due to the fact that very little<br />

material is etched (- I nm), resulting in significant errors in<br />

measurement stemming from inconsistent placement <strong>of</strong> the<br />

pr<strong>of</strong>ilometer stylus. Overall, the most reliable data is the<br />

parabolic etch rate constants for the high Ge content <strong>films</strong>.<br />

It is important to realize that the data in Figs. 6-8 simply<br />

records the drop in step height. It does not necessarily relate<br />

to the lateral etch rate. Moreover, the conductive part <strong>of</strong> the<br />

<strong>films</strong> is actually etched more severely than at first glance:<br />

the step heights recorded here are for <strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong> covered wiih<br />

porous SO2.<br />

5. ETCH RATE OF POLY-GE<br />

The etch mechanism for Poly-Ge is analogous to that <strong>of</strong><br />

<strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong> [SI:<br />

HIOl + Ge + GeO + H1O<br />

HZ02 + GeO + GeOz + HZO<br />

(5)<br />

HIO + Ge02(s) - H,O + Ge02(aq)<br />

In the case <strong>of</strong> <strong>poly</strong>-Ge, however, porous silicon dioxide is not<br />

formed. Hence, the etch rate is, to first order, reaction rate<br />

limited <strong>and</strong>, therefore, linear with time.<br />

The lateral etch rate <strong>of</strong> in-situ, boron-doped (p-<strong>type</strong>),<br />

LPCVD <strong>poly</strong>-Ge was found by depositing a layer <strong>of</strong> <strong>poly</strong>-Ge<br />

on SCS <strong>and</strong> LTO wafers. The <strong>poly</strong>-Ge film was then<br />

covered with a 1 pm LTO film. Next, the LTO film was<br />

patterned into a series <strong>of</strong> ever-widening oxide bridges, each<br />

bridge 1 pm wider than the last. Dice were then etched for<br />

various periods <strong>of</strong> time, <strong>and</strong> the etch length determined by<br />

the widest oxide bridge undercut. The results were then<br />

plotted <strong>and</strong> fit via a least squares method to determine the<br />

etch rate. The results are tabulated in Table 1<br />

One <strong>of</strong> the wafers tested was accidentally dipped for three<br />

seconds in piranha (a 120T solution <strong>of</strong> roughly 56:l<br />

H2S04:H101). The <strong>poly</strong>-Ge appeared to he slightly etched.<br />

Despite this, we continued processing the wafer without<br />

incident. When the etch rate <strong>of</strong> the piranha-dipped <strong>poly</strong>-Ge<br />

was measured, however, we found it to he enhanced by about<br />

80% over those wafers not dipped in piranha.<br />

6. STABILITY OF POLY-SIGE<br />

The <strong>stability</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong> <strong>films</strong> when stored at room<br />

temperature was also studied. Roughly 1 pm <strong>of</strong> boron-doped<br />

<strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong> was deposited on oxidized Si wafers at 450°C <strong>and</strong><br />

600 mTorr (approximately 65 to 66% Ge content). As a<br />

control, roughly 1 pm <strong>of</strong> in-situ, phosphorous-doped (n<strong>type</strong>),<br />

LPCVD <strong>poly</strong>-Si was deposited on oxidized Si wafers<br />

at 605°C.<br />

Some <strong>of</strong> the wafers were then annealed for one hour in a<br />

nitrogen ambient at 825°C (1050T for the <strong>poly</strong>-Si control<br />

wafers); the other wafers remained unannealed. The<br />

backside film <strong>of</strong> all wafers was then stripped. The wafers<br />

were then placed in a desiccator or exposed to laboratory<br />

ambient conditions for different lengths <strong>of</strong> time. During the<br />

study, some wafers were oxidized or coated with a SAM<br />

(self-assemhled monolayer). Using wafer curnature, average<br />

518<br />

Table I: Etch rate <strong>of</strong> doped <strong>and</strong> undoped <strong>poly</strong>-Ge, <strong>and</strong><br />

the corelaiion coeficient <strong>of</strong> the least squares bestrfit line.<br />

ne undoped data is from 181.<br />

Undoped Poly-Ge I 0.31 pdmin I NIA<br />

Doped Poly-Ge I OS2 pdmin I 91.6%<br />

Doped Poly-Ge After<br />

3 Sec Dip in Piranha<br />

0,94 pdmin 84.0%<br />

film stress was measured regularly over a 7%-month period<br />

(Fig. 9).<br />

Unannealed <strong>SiGe</strong> wafers in ambient conditions exhibited<br />

an increasingly tensile average film stress, while those in the<br />

desiccator maintained a constant stress. We observed no<br />

stress drift in the annealed <strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong> wafers, even in ambient<br />

conditions. The unannealed <strong>and</strong> annealed <strong>poly</strong>-Si control<br />

wafers exhibited no stress drift, regardless <strong>of</strong> ambient<br />

conditions (wet or dry).<br />

Low temperature (360°C) wet oxidation does not appear<br />

to affect the stress drift in <strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong>. Stresses in those<br />

wafers oxidized jumped after the oxidation, but then<br />

continued their original trend, either drifting upward (i.e.,<br />

unannealed wafers in the ambient) or maintaining a constant<br />

stress (i.e., unannealed wafers in the desiccator or annealed<br />

wafers in the ambient or desiccator). Hexamethyldisilazane<br />

(HMDS) <strong>and</strong> the water-based SAM coating Siliclad (from<br />

Gelest Inc., [14]) do not appear to halt the stress drift <strong>of</strong> the<br />

unannealed <strong>SiGe</strong> <strong>films</strong> in ambient conditions.<br />

SlMS analysis <strong>of</strong> the atomic composition <strong>of</strong> an annealed<br />

<strong>and</strong> unannealed, 63% Ge content <strong>SiGe</strong> alloy exposed to<br />

0 50 100 150 200<br />

Time (days)<br />

Figure 9: At Day 0, <strong>SiGe</strong>J, 4, 5, <strong>and</strong> 6 were ununnealed.<br />

while <strong>SiGe</strong>9 was annealed at 825°C in N2 for one hour. All<br />

wafers were left out in ambient conditions on Day 0. The<br />

events labeled in thefigure above are as follows:<br />

I.<br />

2.<br />

3.<br />

4.<br />

5.<br />

6.<br />

7.<br />

8.<br />

Day 4: placed <strong>SiGe</strong>3 in desiccator<br />

Day 47: took <strong>SiGe</strong>3 out <strong>of</strong> desiccator<br />

Day 55: placed <strong>SiGe</strong>6 in desiccator<br />

Day 70: placed <strong>SiGe</strong>4 <strong>and</strong> 5 in desiccator<br />

Dq 147: took SiCe6 out <strong>of</strong> desiccator, oxidized<br />

<strong>SiGe</strong>-3. 6, <strong>and</strong> 9 in steam at 360°C for 1 hr<br />

Day 165: took <strong>SiGe</strong>5 out <strong>of</strong> desiccator<br />

Day 174: coated <strong>SiGe</strong>3 with HMDS<br />

Day 21 7: coated <strong>SiGe</strong>5 <strong>and</strong> 6 with Siliclad


ambient conditions is presented in Fig. IO. Two days after<br />

deposition <strong>of</strong> the film, the wafer was broken in half; one half<br />

<strong>of</strong> the wafer was annealed for five hours in N2 at 450"C,<br />

while the other half remained unannealed. The SlMS<br />

analysis was performed 29 days after the film deposition. In<br />

the interim, between deposition <strong>and</strong> SIMS analysis, the wafer<br />

halves were stored in laboratory ambient conditions.<br />

The B, Ge, <strong>and</strong> Si pr<strong>of</strong>iles (not shown) were not<br />

noticeably affected by the anneal. The atomic concentrations<br />

<strong>of</strong> H <strong>and</strong> 0, on the other h<strong>and</strong>, increased more substantially<br />

at the surface <strong>of</strong> the unannealed film compared to the<br />

annealed film. Integrating the curves, it was found that the<br />

unannealed sample contained 1.9 <strong>and</strong> 1.4 times more H <strong>and</strong><br />

0, respectively, than the annealed sample. Accounting for<br />

residual 0 <strong>and</strong> H from the deposition process, we found that<br />

the unannealed film absorbed about 1.8 times more 0 than H.<br />

The higher 0 incorporation into the unannealed film suggests<br />

that the stress drift <strong>of</strong> <strong>SiGe</strong> <strong>films</strong> is due to a water-mediated<br />

introduction <strong>of</strong> oxygen <strong>and</strong> hydrogen into the <strong>SiGe</strong> film, not<br />

simply water absorption. Exposing the front side <strong>of</strong> the<br />

unannealed <strong>SiGe</strong> wafers in the stress drift experiment to HF<br />

results in virtually no change in the average stress. This<br />

indicates that oxidation is not the mechanism causing the<br />

stress drift (Fig. 9) <strong>and</strong> higher 0 incorporation (Fig. IO).<br />

7. CONCLUSIONS<br />

In order to use <strong>poly</strong>-Ge sacrificial layers, release steps for<br />

<strong>SiGe</strong> <strong>films</strong> with t 65% Ge content must he time-limited due<br />

to the high etch rate <strong>of</strong> <strong>SiGe</strong> in <strong>peroxide</strong>. To maintain their<br />

stress <strong>stability</strong>, unannealed <strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong> MEMS should be<br />

encapsulated in a relatively dry ambient.<br />

For RF MEMS resonators, the restrictions are more<br />

severe. Most RF electrostatic resonators require gaps <strong>of</strong><br />

- 100 nm or smaller [IS]. Unfortunately, a IS-minute<br />

release etch will more than double the gap width <strong>of</strong> a <strong>poly</strong>-<br />

Sio.,lGeo.6g resonator, increasing the motional resistance <strong>of</strong><br />

the device more than 16-fold. However, this problem can he<br />

resolved without significant alteration <strong>of</strong> the process flow by<br />

increasing the Si content <strong>of</strong> the <strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong> <strong>films</strong>, thereby<br />

lE121<br />

._<br />

1 2 1E+20 ~<br />

I 5= 9<br />

' 1E+19<br />

9<br />

-HAnnealed -0Annealed<br />

-H Unanneeled -0 Unannealed<br />

1E+18<br />

0 01 02 03 04 05 06 0<br />

DeDth luml<br />

Figure IO: SlMS analysis <strong>of</strong> the atomic composition <strong>of</strong> an<br />

unannealed <strong>and</strong> annealed @ve hours in N2 at 450°C). 63%<br />

Ge content <strong>SiGe</strong> alloy 29 days afrer deposition (27 days ajier<br />

the anneal) The Si, Ge, <strong>and</strong> B pr<strong>of</strong>iles (not shown) were no/<br />

noticeably affected by the anneal. The <strong>poly</strong>-SiCe fihn wus<br />

deposited at 425°C <strong>and</strong> 600 mTorr.<br />

lowering the etch rate <strong>of</strong> the <strong>films</strong> in <strong>peroxide</strong> <strong>and</strong> increasing<br />

the etch selectivity between <strong>poly</strong>-Ge <strong>and</strong> <strong>poly</strong>-<strong>SiGe</strong>.<br />

One should note, however, that, as the Ge content<br />

approaches 50%, the <strong>SiGe</strong> <strong>films</strong> become amorphous at a<br />

deposition temperature <strong>of</strong> 425°C [Z]. Therefore, the optimal<br />

Ge content which achieves both sufficient etch selectivity<br />

<strong>and</strong> <strong>poly</strong>crystalline film structure is on the order <strong>of</strong> 55 to<br />

65%. Finally, because the gas flow rates have been shown to<br />

strongly affect Ge content in the <strong>poly</strong>-Si,.,Ge, LPCVD<br />

process, precise control <strong>of</strong> gas flow rates is critical.<br />

8. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS<br />

The authors would like to thank Marie Eyoum for<br />

contributions to Fig. 10, Dimitry Kouzminov for the SlMS<br />

measurements, <strong>and</strong> Marilyn Kushner for making mask sets.<br />

Finally, we wish to thank the DARF'A NMASP program for<br />

their financial support <strong>of</strong> this research.<br />

519<br />

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