Phosphorus out-diffusion in laser molten silicon

Abstract

Laser doping via liquid phase diffusion enables the formation of defect free pn junctions and a tailoring of diffusion profiles by varying the laser pulse energy density and the overlap of laser pulses. We irradiate phosphorus diffused 100 oriented p-type float zone silicon wafers with a 5 μm wide line focused 6.5 ns pulsed frequency doubled Nd:YVO4 laser beam, using a pulse to pulse overlap of 40%. By varying the number of laser scans Ns = 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 40 at constant pulse energy density H = 1.3 J/cm2 and H = 0.79 J/cm2 we examine the out-diffusion of phosphorus atoms performing secondary ion mass spectroscopy concentration measurements. Phosphorus doping profiles are calculated by using a numerical simulation tool. The tool models laser induced melting and re-solidification of silicon as well as the out-diffusion of phosphorus atoms in liquid silicon during laser irradiation. We investigate the observed out-diffusion process by comparing simulations with experimental concentration measurements. The result is a pulse energy density independent phosphorus out-diffusion velocity vout = 9 ± 1 cm/s in liquid silicon, a partition coefficient of phosphorus 1 < kp < 1.1 and a diffusion coefficient D = 1.4(±0.2)cm2/s × 10−3 × exp[−183 meV/(kBT)].