Quantifying Implantation Induced Damage and Point Defects with Multislice Electron Ptychography

TL;DR

This study demonstrates the use of multislice electron ptychography to quantify ion implantation damage and point defects in 4H-SiC, revealing deeper-than-expected damage and enabling defect identification for device optimization.

Contribution

The paper introduces multislice electron ptychography as a novel method to quantify implantation damage and detect point defects in 4H-SiC, surpassing previous techniques in depth resolution.

Findings

Implantation damage extends up to 100 nm depth, deeper than simulations predicted.

Silicon vacancies can be identified and used to measure local strain.

The method provides detailed insights into implantation-induced crystal damage.

Abstract

Here, we use multislice electron ptychography to quantify damage introduced by ion implantation of Er into 4H-SiC. Comparing reconstructed volumes from experiment (each 2,000 nm$^{3}$) along the implantation direction, the crystal damage is quantified and compared to pristine SiC. Using simulations, we establish that the implantation-induced static displacements limit both Er dopant and silicon vacancy detection. The corresponding damage in the experiment is found to occur up a depth of 100 nm and significantly deeper than expected from implantation simulations, ignoring crystallography. Beyond this depth, we show that silicon vacancies can be identified within the sampled volume and used to measure their local strain. Overall, these results underscore the power of multislice electron ptychography to quantify the impacts of implantation and as a tool to help guide electronic device process optimization.