Solid-phase epitaxial regrowth of a shallow amorphised Si layer studied by X-ray and medium energy ion scattering

Solid-phase epitaxial regrowth (SPER) of Si amorphised by ion implantation is considered as a potential solution for the fabrication of ultrashallow junctions for future technology nodes of Si CMOS devices. In the present work, a series of Epi-Si samples amorphised by ultra-low energy As implantation was investigated by monitoring the lattice recovery during SPER and the simultaneous evolution of implantation-induced defects using the combined capabilities of X-ray scattering methods and medium energy ion scattering. Annealing temperatures between 550 and 700 degrees C and times from 10 to 200 s were chosen to characterise different stages of the SPER as well as the onset of defect annealing. Small defect clusters were detected in the end-of-range damage region of the implanted samples and layer-by-layer regrowth of the amorphised region was clearly observed. The complementary nature of the information obtained by the two methods is demonstrated. This study confirms that the high dose As implant causes the slowing down of the SPER rate in Si.