Infrared analysis and modeling of thin films

M. Shamseddinea,*, M. Kazanb and M. Tabbalc Department of physics, American University of Beirut, Riad EL-Solh 1107 2020, Beirut, Lebanon
a

mos05@aub.edu.lb, b mk140@aub.edu.lb, c mt03@aub.edu.lb, *M. Samseddine

Optical and electrical properties of semiconductor materials related to the recent technological advancements that are playing a vital role in the integrated-circuit manufacturing, optoelectronics, and countless industrial applications are often critical to the functionality and performance of many devices. The combination of scientific interest and technological impact calls for optical characterization methods as valuable in characterizing optical properties. Preparation of good quality thin films was carried out by a typical PLD high vacuum system and samples have analyzed by Fourier Transform Infrared Reflectivity FTIR. In fact, this optical method has chosen because its the most quantitative one in which simple theories can be used to analyze the response of semiconductors to these infrared wavelengths as well as to the reflectivity from layered systems. In addition, FTIR can probe even important intrinsic and extrinsic semiconductor properties such as: lattice vibrations and phonon features, impurities behavior and defects concentration, band characteristics, thickness, free carriers transport as well as the geometry and interface behavior of microstructures on a layer-by-layer basis. The reflectivity spectra of different samples have analyzed by a model that takes into account the contribution of the interface asperities which considers layer-by-layer interface using the frequency dependent infrared dielectric function as given by the damped Lorentz oscillator model (DLOM) [1], in addition to the lattice and Plasmon vibration contributions. So far, the dielectric functions reported were deduced in the direction perpendicular (ordinary) and parallel (extraordinary) to the crystal axis, however, the key development in our model is that the crystal anisotropy as well as the interface conditions have taken into account, where the damping constant and stresses at the interface are set as a free adjustable parameters. The excellent agreement between our modeling and the experimental data demonstrated that the proposed model is a viable tool for the characterization of thin films. Its a fast non-destructive tool that bring very relevant information concerning key parameters for technological applications namely, optical parameters and electrical ones, mobility, doping level, thickness of the film, crystallographic orientations and stresses at interface that reveal the crystalline of the investigated samples. All these results make this model expensive for the semiconductor industry. [1] Perkowitz, S., 1993. Optical Characterization of Semiconductors (Emory University, Atlanta, USA)