Exfoliation and blistering of Cd0.96Zn0.04Te substrates by ion implantation

Abstract

As part of a series of wafer bonding experiments, the exfoliation/blistering of ion-implanted Cd0.96Zn0.04Te substrates was investigated as a function of postimplantation annealing conditions. (211) Cd0.96Zn0.04Te samples were implanted either with hydrogen (5×1016 cm−2; 40–200 keV) or co-implanted with boron (1×1015 cm−2; 147 keV) and hydrogen (1–5×1016 cm−2; 40 keV) at intended implant temperatures of 253 K or 77 K. Silicon reference samples were simultaneously co-implanted. The change in the implant profile after annealing at low temperatures (<300°C) was monitored using high-resolution x-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and optical microscopy. The samples implanted at the higher temperature did not show any evidence of blistering after annealing, although there was evidence of sample heating above 253 K during the implant. The samples implanted at 77 K blistered at temperatures ranging from 150°C to 300°C, depending on the hydrogen implant dose and the presence of the boron co-implant. The production of blisters under different implant and annealing conditions is consistent with nucleation of subsurface defects at lower temperature, followed by blistering/exfoliation at higher temperature. The surface roughness remained comparable to that of the as-implanted sample after the lower temperature anneal sequence, so this defect nucleation step is consistent with a wafer bond annealing step prior to exfoliation. Higher temperature anneals lead to exfoliation of all samples implanted at 77 K, although the blistering temperature (150–300°C) was a strong function of the implant conditions. The exfoliated layer thickness was 330 nm, in good agreement with the projected range. The “optimum” conditions based on our experimental data showed that implanting CdZnTe with H+ at 77 K and a dose of 5×1016/cm2 is compatible with developing high interfacial energy at the bonded interface during a low-temperature (150°C) anneal followed by layer exfoliation at higher (300°C) temperature.