Depth profiling of vacancy clusters in MeV-implanted Si using Au labeling

• Published in: Applied physics letters Vol. 73; no. 20; pp. 2980 - 2982
• Main Authors: Venezia, V. C., Eaglesham, D. J., Haynes, T. E., Agarwal, Aditya, Jacobson, D. C., Gossmann, H.-J., Baumann, F. H.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: 16-11-1998
• ISSN: 0003-6951; 1077-3118
• DOI: 10.1063/1.122650

A technique for profiling the clustered-vacancy region produced by high-energy ion implantation into silicon is described and tested. This technique takes advantage of the fact that metal impurities, such as Au, are trapped in the region of excess vacancies produced by MeV Si implants into silicon. In this work, the clustered-vacancy regions produced by 1-, 2-, and 8-MeV Si implants into silicon have been labeled with Au diffused in from the front surface at 750 °C. The trapped Au was profiled with Rutherford backscattering spectrometry. The dynamics of the clustered-vacancy region were monitored for isochronal annealing at 750–1000 °C, and for isothermal annealing at 950 °C, for 10–600 s. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed that after the drive-in anneal, the Au in the region of vacancy clusters is in the form of precipitates. The results demonstrate that the Au-labeling technique offers a convenient and potentially quantitative tool for depth profiling vacancies in clusters.