Laser-enhanced nucleation of oxidation-induced stacking faults in silicon

Abstract

We have studied the laser-enhanced nucleation of oxidation-induced stacking faults in ion-implanted silicon. Silicon ions of 100 keV were implanted onto the silicon surface in the dosages ranging from 1.0×1013 to 1.0×1014 cm−2. The laser beam used was 1.06 μm in wavelength with a diameter of 40 μm, and was generated from a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser at a repetition rate of 12 kHz and a 150-ns pulse width. It was found that the laser irradiation enhanced the generation of oxidation-induced stacking faults or their generation nuclei through the implantation-induced lattice defects at the boundary between the laser scanned and nonscanned regions. Laser-enhanced nucleation is caused by the supersaturation of the silicon self-interstitials generated by the rapid heating-cooling cycle induced by laser irradiation reacting with the self-interstitials induced during oxidation.