Electron microscopy studies of pulsed electron beam annealing in phosphorus-implanted silicon

Abstract

Effects of pulsed electron beam annealing (PEBA) are investigated by computer simulations of a thermal process from a one dimensional heat flow model. Experimental studies are presented for phosphorus-implanted silicon samples. Characterization of PEBA specimens, realized by means of electron channelling patterns observed with a scanning electron microscope (SEM), indicate good regrowth. Comparison made between conventional thermal annealing and pulsed electron beam annealing shows that PEBA removes defects associated with thermal annealing. Crystallographic studies have been made on a series of samples annealed with different fluences (from 1.0 up to 1.6 J/cm2). SEM observations carried out using the electron channelling imaging method and transmission electron microscope (TEM) observations show the existence of dislocations and subgrain boundaries, with a density increasing with fluence. Polygonization seems to indicate that climb as well as glide are active in the dislocation mobility.