A comparison of rapid thermal annealing and controlled atmosphere annealing of Si-implanted GaAs

Abstract

The chemical and electrical characteristics were measured of 100-keV Si+-implanted GaAs at doses of (6 – 10)×1012 cm−2 after rapid thermal annealing (RTA) for times of 5–40 s at temperatures between 850 and 975 °C. Optimal conditions were 5 s at 930 °C in either Ar or Ar–H2 atmospheres. Purity of the gas ambient was critical at the higher temperatures. Surface degradation was minimal for face-to-face annealing, as compared to exposed SiO2 encapsulated surfaces. Essentially identical electrical characteristics were obtained by the preferred RTA conditions as compared to 30-min conventional furnace annealing under optimum conditions at 850 °C using the controlled atmosphere technique. The markedly different RTA annealing times with comparable electrical characteristics are attributed to the differences in the host lattice damage recovery resulting from heat transfer and the actual duration to reach the desired anneal temperature.