Impurities in MeV-implanted and annealed silicon may be trapped at interstitial defects near the projected ion range, Rp, and also at vacancy-related defects at approximately Rp/2. We have investigated the temperature dependence of impurity trapping at these secondary defects, which were preformed by annealing at 900 °C. The binding energies of Fe, Ni, and Cu are greater at the vacancy-related defects than at extrinsic dislocation loops. During subsequent processing at temperatures up to 900 °C, the amount of these impurities trapped at Rp/2 increases with decreasing temperature while the amount trapped at Rp decreases, with most of the trapped metals located at Rp/2 in samples processed at temperatures ≲ 700 °C. However, intrinsic oxygen is trapped at both types of defects; this appears to have little effect on the trapping of metallic impurities at extrinsic dislocations, but may inhibit or completely suppress the trapping at vacancy-related defects.

The redistribution of iron implanted into the oxide layer of silicon-on-insulator structures has been measured using the secondary ion mass spectroscopy technique after annealing at 900–1050 °C. Iron diffusion has been found to be much faster in the oxide prepared by the separation-byimplantation-of-oxygen (SIMOX) procedure compared to the thermally grown oxide in the bonded and etched-back structures. In the latter case, the Fe diffusivity exhibits a thermal activation with an energy of 2.8 eV, confirming the literature data on silica glass. In the SIMOX oxide, the diffusivity depends only weakly on temperature, indicative of an essentially activation-free diffusion mechanism. Gettering of Fe at below-the-buried-oxide defects in SIMOX wafers has been observed. No iron segregation has been detected at the SiO2–Si interfaces.

The development of microcracks in hydrogen-implanted silicon has been studied up to the final split using optical microscopy and mass spectroscopy. It is shown that the amount of gas released when splitting the material is proportional to the surface area of microcracks. This observation is interpreted as a signature of a vertical collection of the available gas. The development of microcracks is modeled taking into account both diffusion and mechanical crack propagation. The model reproduces many experimental observations such as the dependence of split time upon temperature and implanted dose.

The atomic-scale mechanisms driving thermally activated self-diffusion on silicon surfaces are investigated by atomic force microscopy. The evolution of surface topography is quantified over a large spatial bandwidth by means of the Power Spectral Density functions. We propose a parametric model, based on the Mullins-Herring (M-H) diffusion equation, to describe the evolution of the surface topography of silicon during thermal annealing. Usually, a stochastic term is introduced into the M-H model in order to describe intrinsic random fluctuations of the system. In this work, we add two stochastic terms describing the surface thermal fluctuations and the oxidation-evaporation phenomenon. Using this extended model, surface evolution during thermal annealing in reducing atmosphere can be predicted for temperatures above the roughening transition. A very good agreement between experimental and theoretical data describing roughness evolution and self-diffusion phenomenon is obtained. The physical origin and time-evolution of these stochastic terms are discussed. Finally, using this model, we explore the limitations of the smoothening of the silicon surfaces by rapid thermal annealing.

International audienceCrack propagation in implanted silicon for thin layer transfer is experimentally studied. The crack propagation velocity as a function of split temperature is measured using a designed optical setup. Interferometric measurement of the gap opening is performed dynamically and shows an oscillatory crack "wake" with a typical wavelength in the centimetre range. The dynamics of this motion is modelled using beam elasticity and thermodynamics. The modelling demonstrates the key role of external atmospheric pressure during crack propagation. A quantification of the amount of gas trapped inside pre-existing microcracks and released during the fracture is made possible, with results consistent with previous studies. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC