title: A new analytical method for characterising the bonding environment at rough interfaces in high-k gate stacks using electron energy loss spectroscopy.
abstract: Determining the bonding environment at a rough interface, using for example the near-edge fine structure in electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), is problematic since the measurement contains information from the interface and surrounding matrix phase. Here we present a novel analytical method for determining the interfacial EELS difference spectrum (with respect to the matrix phase) from a rough interface of unknown geometry, which, unlike multiple linear least squares (MLLS) fitting, does not require the use of reference spectra from suitable standards. The method is based on analysing a series of EELS spectra with variable interface to matrix volume fraction and, as an example, is applied to a TiN/poly-Si interface containing oxygen in a HfO(2)-based, high-k dielectric gate stack. A silicon oxynitride layer was detected at the interface consistent with previous results based on MLLS fitting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK. b.g.mendis@durham.ac.uk
authors.forename: B G
authors.initials: BG
authors.lastname: Mendis
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mackenzie
authors.forename: A J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Craven