Ion beam analysis of the dry thermal oxidation of thin polycrystalline SiGe films

Nanoparticles of Ge embedded in a formed dielectric matrix appear as very promising systems for electronic and photonic applications. We present here an exhaustive characterization of the oxidation process of polycrystalline SiGe layers from the starting of its oxidation process to the total oxidation of it. We have characterized the process by RBS, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy, showing the necessity to use different techniques in order to get a full view of the process. First the Si-Si and Si-Ge bonds are oxidized growing SiO2, and Ge segregates from the SiO2. As soon as all Si is oxidized GeO2 is growing gradually. RBS has demonstrated to be very useful to characterize the SiO2 and the remaining non-oxidized poly-SiGe layer thickness, as well as for the determination of the Ge fraction, where the high sensitivity of this technique allows to explore its whole range. On the other hand, for the reliable determination of the GeO2 thickness, information on the amount of Ge-O bonding had to be obtained from FTIR spectra. Raman spectroscopy yields detailed information about the oxidation processes for different bonds (Si-Si, Si-Ge, Ge-Ge).