Electrical activation of ultralow energy As implants in Si

Arsenic implants performed in Si at ultralow energy have been extensively studied with structural, chemical, and electrical analysis. The near-surface damage annealing and its influence on the electrical activation of ultrashallow As in Si as a function of the anneal ambient has been investigated. Double alignment medium energy ion scattering, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, and low energy secondary ion mass spectrometry have been used to assess the dopant behavior and crystal recovery in the near-surface regions. The electrical activation of As in Si has been measured with spreading resistance profiling, four point probe, and van der Pauw methods. Major redistribution of the dopant into the SiO2-Si interface region occurred during crystal regrowth of the damaged Si layer. An inactive meta-stable As solid solution was formed in the near-surface region after amorphous layer regrowth. Electrical activation of the dopant occurred upon dissociation of the As solid solution, when the dopant concentration fell to the steady state level. The As diffusion observed has been shown to be enhanced for short (10 s) anneal times at 1100 °C. When annealing at high temperature in an oxidizine ambient the dopant is retained at a high concentration in the solid and a high level of electrical activation is observed. Significant outdiffusion of the dopant is observed during high temperature annealing in nonoxidizing conditions which reduced the level of activation. © 2001 American Institute of Physics.