Determination of Si/SiO/sub 2/ interface roughness using weak localization

The interface roughness of intentionally textured Si/SiO/sub 2/ interfaces was measured using the quantum weak localization (WL) correction to the electrical conductivity at low temperatures. The deduced roughness was confirmed by observation of the Si surface replicas by atomic force microscopy (AFM). Quantitative agreement between the two methods was found ( Delta =1.2 to 1.4 AA from WL and 1.35 AA from AFM). For a surface with artificially induced texture, it is found that WL can easily distinguish a significant increase in roughness relative to the smooth surfaces. AFM confirms this qualitative conclusion.<
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