The effect of thermal treatments on the local geometry around indium in In and In+C high dose implanted Si

In the quest of new p-type dopants for Si, indium represents a promising candidate for its low diffusivity even if it presents a very low solubility and a very deep acceptor state. It has been recently shown that by co-doping In implanted Si with C, a shallower state forms related to In-C complexes. In this contribution we investigate the effect of C co-implantation on the In local configuration for In concentration higher than the solid solubility limit in Si. We find evidence that C has the property of preventing the formation of In clusters by binding In also at high concentrations. This interaction has a clear effect on the dopant concentration profile and on electrical properties of the material. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.