Further insight on boron diffusion in silicon obtained with Auger electron spectroscopy

Abstract

Auger electron spectroscopy and Rutherford backscattering measurements were used to analyse the composition of the boron-rich silicon compound which grows at the silicon-silicon dioxide interface when boron is deposited onto silicon from boron nitride sources with hydrogen injection. A study of the growth kinetics of the compound with temperature yielded an activation energy for the Si-B reaction of 2.29±0.1 eV, which is remarkably less than the activation energy for boron diffusion in silicon. Therefore the rate of transfer of boron in silicon is determined by the reaction rate of silicon with boron.