Physicochemical fundamentals of phase formation in silicon layers implanted with oxygen and carbon

Abstract

The thermodynamic and kinetic regularities of processes occurring during heat treatment in silicon layers implanted with oxygen and carbon ions have been considered. We have analyzed the regularities of silicon deformation, impurity distribution and defect formation after different annealing modes. Diffusion smearing of implanted impurities in these layers has not been observed during carbon and oxygen implantation. As-annealed carbon does not occupy sites of the silicon lattice, in contrast to the implantation behavior of other impurities, e.g. boron and phosphorus. Phase formation regularities in implanted layers during subsequent heat treatment have been analyzed. Changes in the free energy of the system during heterogeneous and homogeneous precipitate nucleation have been compared. Sequential implantation with carbon and oxygen ions has been found to initiate diffusion flows of carbon and oxygen toward the center of the ion doped layer (the uphill diffusion phenomenon). The possibility of uphill diffusion has been analyzed from the standpoints of the Onsager theory. We show that the contribution of the chemical interaction between oxygen and carbon is far greater than the entropy contribution to the diffusion flux. We have demonstrated the high efficiency of ion doping with oxygen and carbon for gettering of uncontrolled impurities from active regions of silicon structures. The efficiency of this gettering process has been assessed for epitaxial structures in which layers had been grown on silicon wafers implanted with these impurities. Uphill diffusion in the layers after double doping with carbon and oxygen has led to the formation of more defects which may provide for efficient gettering. We have found the optimal oxygen and carbon implantation dose ratio for maximal gettering efficiency.