Abstract
This study experimentally investigates implantation and post-annealing characteristics of room-temperature cluster ion-implanted B n (n = 1-4) in silicon. A boron implantation energy of 20 keV per atom was employed and the total atomic boron implantation fluence was 10 16 cm -2 . Two-step post-annealing treatments were performed using furnace annealing (FA) at 550 °C for 1 h in the first-step and rapid thermal annealing (RTA) at 1050 °C for 25 s in the second-step. Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS), a four-point probe, Rutherford backscattering spectrometry with channeling (RBS/C) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used in determining boron depth profiles, sheet resistance, damage depth profiles and defect microstructures, respectively. The results show that boron depth profiles, sheet resistance, damage depth profiles and defect microstructure closely correspond to the non-linear damage structures caused by ion implantation. During low temperature annealing, the occurrence of solid phase epitaxial growth (SPEG) in the amorphous layer resulting from implantation-induced damage can effectively remove implantation-induced damage and suppress boron diffusion, even though an appreciable amount of temporary defects are converted into permanent defects. © 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.