Diffusion of dopants in B- and Sb-delta-doped Si films grown by solid-phase epitaxy

Abstract

The diffusion of δ-function-shaped B- and Sb-dopant spikes in thin Si films grown by solid-phase-epitaxy [(SPE), growth of amorphous film by molecular-beam epitaxy (MBE) at room temperature and subsequent regrowth in situ] during annealing in vacuum is compared to diffusion in films grown by low-temperature (LT) MBE. Diffusion temperatures from 750 to 900 °C, and two-dimensional concentrations of 0.7–1.6×1014 cm−2 have been investigated. The diffusive behavior of dopants in SPE films is found to be qualitatively different from that in films grown by LTMBE. This is related to the vacancylike defects that are intrinsic to growth by SPE but not to growth by LTMBE. Dopant profiles widen significantly during SPE regrowth, making the achievement of δ-function dopant spikes impossible. After a vacuum anneal the diffusion coefficients for both n- and p-type dopants are lower in SPE films than the corresponding values in films grown by LTMBE by up to one order of magnitude. The diffused depth profile of the dopant in LTMBE films shows the characteristic deviation from a pure Gaussian that is expected due to the concentration dependence of diffusion, i.e., a flat top and steep shoulders. In contrast, dopant depth profiles of SPE-grown material show after diffusion a central spike and relatively flat shoulders. The width of the central spike is, after an initial transient that it was not possible to resolve, independent of diffusion time and temperature. This indicates that the SPE material is defective, with the defects acting as traps during diffusion.