Temperature dependence of blistering in hydrogen implanted Si and Ge

Abstract

The temperature dependence of hydrogen blistering rates are measured in (100) Si, (111) Si and (100) Ge substrates implanted with 40keV H- ions to a fluence of 6×1016Hcm−2 using real-time imaging of samples during annealing. The time taken for blisters to form was found to exhibit Arrhenius behaviour and to be characterised by a single activation energy over the temperature range examined (375–650°C for Si and 300–600°C for Ge). The extracted activation energies, which are believed to be the sum of a hydrogen-complex (H–X) dissociation energy and a hydrogen migration energy, were found to be 2.28±0.03eV for (100) and (111) Si and 1.4±0.03eV for (100) Ge. These results are discussed with reference to a model for blister formation and compared with previously reported measurements.