Interface Nature of Ordered Thermally Oxidized Si Nanowires Probed by Electron Spin Resonance: Post Fabrication Annealing and Irradiation

Extensive low-temperature (T) electron spin resonance studies (ESR) have been carried out on as-fabricated, vacuum annealed, and irradiated single crystalline arrays of Si nanowires (NWs) with a top diameter of 5 nm produced by top down etching into (100)Si, finally thinned down by high-T oxidation. This reveals the presence of a substantial inherent density of Pb0 (Si3≡Si•) interface defects (charge trapping and recombination centers) quite above standard thermal values, leaving NW-Si/SiO2 interfaces of reduced electrical quality with, consequently, negative influence on the efficiency of passivation of defects by H. The inherent interface quality appears limited by the wire-narrowing thermal oxidation procedure. Vacuum annealing (≈610 °C) is found to generally reduce, to more or lesser extent, the Pb0 density to a common value over all samples studied, which result directly counters the presence of inadvertent passivation of defects by H. Rather, the anneal appears to effectuate some interface healing. Short term (\lesssim2 h) UV and VUV (10.02 eV) irradiation has little effect in general, with perhaps some weak increase of Pb1 defects induced by UV photons. On the basis of the observed E'γ defect properties, the chemical vapor deposited Si NW inter space filling Si oxide (200 °C) is found to be OH enriched.