Confined phase separation in SiO_x nanometric thin layers

摘要

Phase separation in silicon-rich silica/silica multilayers was investigated using Atom Probe Tomography and Atomistic Kinetic Monte Carlo simulation. It is shown that the thickness of silicon-rich silicon oxide sublayers plays an important role during phase transformation. It determines the morphology of Si-rich phase formed after subsequent annealing, which is of prime interest for microelectronic and optoelectronic applications. Monte Carlo simulation reveals that the formation of isolated Si clusters can be achieved even in the case of spinodal decomposition and is directly related to the ratio between the spinodal wavelength and the sublayer thickness.