Deep level transient spectroscopy study of heavy ion implantation induced defects in silicon

Abstract

Defects introduced by low fluence arsenic, antimony, erbium, and bismuth ion implantation have been investigated as a function of annealing temperature using deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) and Laplace-DLTS. The defects produced by heavy ion implantation are stable up to higher temperatures than those introduced by electron irradiation and low mass ions. This result is attributed to the enhanced defect interactions that take place in the dense collision cascades created by heavy ion implantation. As a consequence, broadened DLTS features are apparent, especially after annealing. Using high energy resolution Laplace-DLTS, the well-known singly charged divacancy and vacancy-donor pair are accompanied by additional apparent defect signals. This shows that Laplace-DLTS is highly sensitive to the type of damage present, and extreme care must be exercised for reliable Arrhenius analysis.