Dislocations in Si generated by fatigue at room temperature

Abstract

Dislocations in silicon can be generated in many ways, and they often induce a leakage current at the p-n junction and give rise to data retention failures of the semiconductor devices. In this study, it was found that dislocations could be generated in silicon even at room temperature by fatigue. The dislocations generated in a semiconductor device were investigated by transmission electron microscopy. They formed a cluster 3 μm in diameter, which emerged from the interface between the silicon substrate and a tungsten stud. Most of the dislocations were lying on the (1 1 1) planes. It was discovered that cyclic deformation of the device by ultrasonic vibration during the cleaning process generated these dislocations.