Spatial distribution of defects in ion-implanted and annealed Si: The RP/2 effect

Abstract

Gettering of metal impurities in ion-implanted Si occurs midway between the surface and the projected ion range, R P, after annealing at temperatures in the range of 700–1000°C and vanishes at higher temperatures. This phenomenon, called the R P/2 effect, seems to be a common feature of ion-implanted and annealed Si. The gettering ability of the damage at R P/2 is commensurate with or may exceed that of the damage at R P. The defects around R P/2 acting as gettering sites have not yet been identified by other analysis techniques. They are formed after ion implantation in the process of defect evolution during annealing and, probably, consist of small complexes of intrinsic defects (vacancies or/and self-interstitials).