Subnitride and valence band offset at Si3N4∕Si interface formed using nitrogen-hydrogen radicals

The authors measured soft x-ray-excited angle-resolved photoemission from Si 2p, N 1s, and O 1s core levels, and valence band for nitride films formed on Si(100), Si(111), and Si(110) using nitrogen-hydrogen radicals with the same probing depth. The Si3N4∕Si interfaces formed exhibited an almost abrupt compositional transition. Furthermore, the crystal orientation of Si substrate affects the total areal density of subnitrides but not the valence band offset at the Si3N4∕Si interface.