ELECTRICAL AND STRUCTURAL-PROPERTIES OF SILICON LAYERS HEAVILY DAMAGED BY ION-IMPLANTATION

The effects of high-dose silicon and arsenic ion implantation on the electrical and structural properties of silicon layers are investigated. Combining electrical, transmission electron microscopy, and triple-crystal x-ray-diffraction measurements made it possible to characterize the effects of thermal annealing both on defect annihilation mechanisms and on electrical doping activation. It is clearly shown that a low-temperature (less-than-or-equal-to 450-degrees-C) electrical activation process is taking place in the amorphous surface layer induced by high-dose ion implantation. This phenomenon is found to be completely independent of the recrystallization regrowth by solid phase epitaxy which occurs at higher temperature. This electrical activation process is found to be well described by a local relaxation model involving point defect migration.