Area-selective deposition and B $\delta$-doping of Si(100) with BCl$_{3}$

TL;DR

This study demonstrates the use of BCl₃ as a precursor for precise boron doping in silicon, achieving high concentration delta-layers and selective-area deposition with high resistivity contrast, advancing atomic-scale device fabrication.

Contribution

It introduces BCl₃ as an effective precursor for B delta-doping in Si(100), with demonstrated selectivity and detailed characterization of doping profiles and electrical properties.

Findings

BCl₃ adsorbs readily at room temperature on Si(100).

High B concentration delta-layers (>1.2×10²¹ cm⁻³) were achieved.

Selective-area deposition showed high contrast ratios with H- and Cl-based resists.

Abstract

B-doped $\delta$-layers were fabricated in Si(100) using BCl$_{3}$ as a dopant precursor in ultrahigh vacuum. BCl$_{3}$ adsorbed readily at room temperature, as revealed by scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) imaging. Annealing at elevated temperatures facilitated B incorporation into the Si substrate. Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) depth profiling demonstrated a peak B concentration $>$ 1.2(1) $\times$ 10$^{21}$ cm$^{-3}$ with a total areal dose of 1.85(1) $\times$ 10$^{14}$ cm$^{-2}$ resulting from a 30 L BCl$_{3}$ dose at 150 $^{\circ}$C. Hall bar measurements of a similar sample were performed at 3.0 K revealing a sheet resistance of $R_{\mathrm{s}}$ = 1.91 k$\Omega\square^{-1}$, a hole concentration of $n$ = 1.90 $\times$ 10$^{14}$ cm$^{-2}$ and a hole mobility of $\mu$ = 38.0 cm$^{2}$V$^{-1}$s$^{-1}$ without performing an incorporation anneal. Further, the conductivity of several B-doped $\delta$-layers showed a log dependence on temperature suggestive of a two-dimensional system. Selective-area deposition of BCl$_{3}$ was also demonstrated using both H- and Cl-based monatomic resists. In comparison to a dosed area on bare Si, adsorption selectivity ratios for H and Cl resists were determined by SIMS to be 310(10):1 and 1529(5):1, respectively, further validating the use of BCl$_{3}$ as a dopant precursor for atomic precision fabrication of acceptor-doped devices in Si.