Evolution of arsenic in high fluence plasma immersion ion implanted silicon: Behavior of the as-implanted surface

V. Vishwanath, E. Demenev, D. Giubertoni*, L. Vanzetti, A. L. Koh, G. Steinhauser, G. Pepponi, M. Bersani, F. Meirer, M. A. Foad

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

High fluence (>1015 ions/cm2) low-energy (3 + on (1 0 0) silicon was investigated, with the focus on stability and retention of the dopant. At this dose, a thin (∼3 nm) amorphous layer forms at the surface, which contains about 45% arsenic (As) in a silicon and oxygen matrix. The presence of silicon indicates that the layer is not only a result of deposition, but predominantly ion mixing. High fluence PIII introduces high concentration of arsenic, modifying the stopping power for incoming ions resulting in an increased deposition. When exposed to atmosphere, the arsenic rich layer spontaneously evolves forming arsenolite As2O3 micro-crystals at the surface. The micro-crystal formation was monitored over several months and exhibits typical crystal growth kinetics. At the same time, a continuous growth of native silicon oxide rich in arsenic was observed on the exposed surface, suggesting the presence of oxidation enhancing factors linked to the high arsenic concentration at the surface.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)792-799
Number of pages8
JournalApplied Surface Science
Volume355
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 15 Nov 2015

Keywords

  • Arsenic
  • Arsenic implantation
  • As-implanted silicon
  • Enhanced oxidation
  • Plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII)

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