9422369 Zvanut The aim of this work is to test new methods of buried oxide technology without the complication of device fabrication. By identifying problems before device fabrication this work will provide characterization tools to streamline new fabrication techniques. The study will examine defects in silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers and predict optimum fabrication methods for successful device operation. The work will concentrate on the atomic level defects in the oxide layer of Si/SiO2/Si structures and their relationship with the electrical response. Although the top Si layer of a SOI wafer is the critical layer for device operation, the quality of the insulating oxide 'substrate' is also important to the success of the technology. For example, it has been pointed out that this layer is responsible for total dose upset and inadequate lateral isolation. These and related problems will be attacked by comparing the defect density and type of defects in buried oxides structures produced by several variations of a specific fabrication process. The two processes which will be highlighted here are thin buried oxides (less than 200nm) and oxides buried underneath SiGe layers. The methods to be used for this study consist of a variety of electrical characterization techniques and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy (EPR). The first step will be to identify the difficulties in the electrical response of the buried oxide using electrical techniques such as capacitance-voltage current-voltage, and conductance measurements. Then, the material will be examined from a different point of view focusing on the point defects (atomic level defects) using EPR. This spectroscopic technique can provide chemical information about the defects at concentrations approaching those important to electronic devices. The significance of this work to the advancement of knowledge lies in the power of EPR to identify chemically the problems which plague electronic materials. These results will provide general information of buried oxide materials; thus, it is expected that the conclusion and observations of this project will apply to the future generation of buried layer devices as well as those studied today. ***
