RF ANNEALING MECHANISMS IN METAL-OXIDE-SEMICONDUCTOR STRUCTURES - AN EXPERIMENTAL SIMULATION

The mechanisms of rf (radio frequency) annealing have been investigated using an experimental simulation, in which the three essential ingredients in the annealing process - the rf field, the ionizing radiation source, and the wafer temperature - can be independently controlled. The results confirm the importance of the simultaneous presence of all three components, whose cooperative effect leads to the effective annihilation of the oxide defects. From an analysis of the activation energY associated with the annealing process, an annealing mechanism based on the recombination-enhanced defect reaction is proposed.