AVS 50th International Symposium
    Electronic Materials and Devices Wednesday Sessions
       Session EM-WeA

Paper EM-WeA6
Metallizing a Semiconductor Surface with Hydrogen

Wednesday, November 5, 2003, 3:40 pm, Room 321/322

Session: Diamond/Contacts to SiC
Presenter: P.G. Soukiassian, Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique, France
Authors: P.G. Soukiassian, Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique, France
V. Derycke, Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique, France
F. Amy, Agere Systems
Y.J. Chabal, Agere Systems
M. D'angelo, Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique, France
H. Enriquez, Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique, France
V.Yu. Aristov, Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique, France
M. Silly, Commissariat à l'Energie Atomique, France
M. Pedio, Insituto di Struttura della Materia, Italy
P. Perfetti, Insituto di Struttura della Materia, Italy
Correspondent: Click to Email
Passivation of semiconductor surfaces against chemical attacks can be achieved by terminating the surface-dangling bonds with a monovalent atom such as hydrogen. Such passivation has invariably leads to the removal of all surface states in the band gap, and thus to the termination of non-metallic surfaces. Here, the first observation of semiconductor surface metallization induced by atomic hydrogen is reported.@footnote 1@ This surprising result, established using atom resolved scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy (STS), core level and valence band photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS,UPS) and multiple reflection infrared absorption spectroscopy (MR-IRAS) is achieved on the Si-terminated 3C-SiC(100) 3x2 cubic silicon carbide surface,. The metallization is evidenced through band gap closing in STS, Fermi level built-up in UPS and specific related spectral features in MR-IRAS. In addition, core level photoemission spectroscopy using synchrotron radiation gives fine details about interatomic charge transfers within the surface and sub-surface regions. The metallization process results from competition between hydrogen termination of surface dangling bonds and hydrogen-generated steric hindrance below the surface. Understanding the ingredient for hydrogen-stabilized metallisation directly impacts the ability to eliminate electronic defects at semiconductor interfaces critical for microelectronics, provides means to develop electrical contacts on high band-gap chemically passive materials, particularly exciting for interfacing with biological systems, and gives control of surfaces for lubrication, e.g. of nanomechanical devices. @FootnoteText@ @footnote 1@ V. Derycke, P. Soukiassian, F. Amy, Y.J. Chabal, M. D'angelo, H. Enriquez and M. Silly, Nature Materials 2, 253 (2003).