Simulation of interstitial diffusion of ion-implanted boron

TL;DR

This paper presents a model for simulating the interstitial diffusion of ion-implanted boron during rapid thermal annealing in silicon, incorporating effects of cluster dissolution and elastic stresses, validated by experimental data.

Contribution

A novel model for boron interstitial diffusion during annealing that accounts for cluster dynamics and elastic stresses, validated by simulation and experimental agreement.

Findings

Average migration length of boron interstitials is 12 nm.

Approximately 1.96% of boron atoms participate in interstitial migration.

Simulation results match experimental boron profiles after annealing.

Abstract

A model of the interstitial diffusion of ion-implanted boron during rapid thermal annealing of silicon layers previously amorphized by implantation of germanium has been proposed. It is supposed that the boron interstitials are generated continuously during annealing due to dissolution or rearrangement of the clusters of impurity atoms which are formed in the ion-implanted layers with impurity concentration above the solubility limit. The local elastic stresses arising due to the difference of boron atomic radius and atomic radius of silicon also contribute to the generation of boron interstitials. On the basis of the model proposed a simulation of redistribution of ion-implanted boron during rapid thermal annealing with duration of 60 s at a temperature of 850 degrees Celsius has been carried out. The calculated profile of boron distribution after thermal treatment agrees well with the experimental data that confirms the adequacy of the model. A number of the parameters of interstitial diffusion have been derived. In particular, the average migration length of nonequilibrium boron interstitials is equal to 12 nanometers. It was also obtained that approximately 1.96 % of boron atoms were converted to the interstitial sites, participated in the fast interstitial migration, and then became immobile again transferring into a substitutional position or forming the electrically inactive complexes with defects of crystal lattice.