Dopant redistribution and electrical activation in silicon following ultra-low energy boron implantation and excimer laser annealing.

Excimer laser annealing (ELA) of ultra-low-energy (ULE) B-ion implanted Si has been performed. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy has been used to assess the as-implanted damage and the crystal recovery following ELA. The electrical activation and redistribution of B in Si during ELA has been investigated as a function of the laser energy density (melted depth), the implant dose, and the number of laser pulses (melt time). The activated and retained dose has been evaluated with spreading resistance profiling and secondary ion mass spectrometry. A significant amount of the implanted dopant was lost from the sample during ELA. However, the dopant that was retained in crystal material was fully activated following rapid resolidification. At an atomic concentration below the thermodynamic limit, the activation efficiency (dose activated/dose implanted into Si material) was a constant for a fixed melt depth, irrespective of the dose implanted and hence the total activated dose was raised as the implant dose was increased. The electrical activation was increased for high laser energy density annealing when the dopant was redistributed over a deeper range.