Strain engineering of ultra-thin silicon-on-insulator structures using through-buried-oxide ion implantation and crystallization

Abstract

We report a novel way of introducing strain in Ultra-Thin Body and Buried-Oxide (UTBB) SOI structures by Ge+ implant into the underlying Si substrate and the formation of localized SiGe regions underneath the buried oxide (BOX) by Crystallization. The localized SiGe regions result in local deformation of the ultra-thin Si. Compressive strain of up to −0.55% and −1.2% were detected by Nano-Beam Diffraction (NBD) at the center and the edge, respectively, of a 50nm wide ultra-thin Si region located between two local SiGe regions. The under-the-BOX SiGe regions may be useful for strain engineering of ultra-thin body transistors formed on UTBB-SOI substrates.