Impurity and defect interactions during laser thermal annealing in Ge

Journal Article · Thu Jan 28 04:00:00 EST 2016 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4940737· OSTI ID:22494961

De Salvador, D.; Carnera, A.; Napolitani, E. ^[1]; Impellizzeri, G.; Privitera, V. ^[2]; Piccinotti, D. ^[1]; La Magna, A. ^[3]; Fortunato, G. ^[4]; Portavoce, A.; Mangelinck, D. ^[5]

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1. CNR-IMM MATIS and Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università di Padova, Via Marzolo 8, 35131 Padova (Italy)
2. CNR-IMM MATIS and Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università di Catania, Via S. Sofia 64, 95123 Catania (Italy)
3. CNR-IMM, Z.I. VIII Strada 5, 95121 Catania (Italy)
4. CNR-IMM, Via del Fosso del Cavaliere 100, 00133 Roma (Italy)
5. IM2NP, CNRS-Universités d'Aix-Marseille et de Toulon, Case 142, 13397 Marseille Cedex 20 (France)

The microscopic mechanisms involving dopants, contaminants, and defects in Ge during pulsed melting laser thermal annealing (LTA) are investigated in detail. Samples both un-implanted and implanted with As or B are processed by LTA as well as characterized in terms of chemical (1D and 3D), electrical, and strain profiling. The clustering of As is directly measured by 3D chemical profiling and correlated with its partial electrical activation along with a reduction of the lattice strain induced by As atoms. A semi-quantitative microscopic model involving the interaction with mobile As-vacancy (AsV) complexes is proposed to describe the clustering mechanism. Boron is shown to follow different clustering behavior that changes with depth and marked by completely different strain levels. Oxygen penetrates from the surface into all the samples as a result of LTA and, only in un-implanted Ge, it occupies an interstitial position inducing also positive strain in the lattice. On the contrary, data suggest that the presence of As or B forces O to assume different configurations with negligible strain, through O-V or O-B interactions for the two dopant species, respectively. These data suggest that LTA does not inject a significant amount of vacancies in Ge, at variance with Si, unless As atoms or possibly other n-type dopants are present. These results have to be carefully considered for modeling the LTA process in Ge and its implementation in technology.

• OSTI ID: 22494961
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Journal Name: Journal of Applied Physics Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 119; ISSN JAPIAU; ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ANNEALING
ATOMS
BORON
DEPTH
DOPED MATERIALS
IMPURITIES
LASERS
MELTING
PULSES
SIMULATION
STRAINS
SURFACES
VACANCIES