Solid-phase epitaxial regrowth of amorphous layers in Si„100... created by low-energy, high-fluence phosphorus implantation

Medium energy ion scattering has been used to study the kinetics of solid-phase epitaxial regrowth SPEG of ultrathin amorphous layers formed by room-temperature implantation of 5 keV energy phosphorus ions into Si 100 . The implants create P distributions with peak concentrations up to 7 1021 cm−3. SPEG has been driven by rapid thermal annealing, 475 °C TA 600 °C, for times up to 2000 s. At each temperature, the regrowth velocity is enhanced in the early stages due to the presence of phosphorus but then slows sharply to a value more than an order of magnitude below the intrinsic rate. The critical phosphorus concentration at the transition point for TA =475 °C regrowth is 6 1020 cm−3 and increases steadily with anneal temperature. Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy profiles confirm the onset of phosphorus push out, where the advancing recrystallization front enters the transition region. Supplementary cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy evidence confirms the existence of a local strain field. © 2005 American Institute of Physics. DOI: 10.1063/1.2113409