Effect of ion implantation on redistribution of erbium during solid-phase epitaxial crystallization of silicon

It is known that Er-ion implantation and O-ion coimplantation into an amorphized Si layer affect the final Er concentration profile when the layer is subjected to solid-phase epitaxial (SPE) crystallization. This paper discusses how this effect depends on dose, energy, temperature, and the parameters of the segregation model, i. e., the transition layer width L and the coordinate dependence of the segregation coefficient k(x). Increasing the Er implantation dose as well as decreasing the implantation energy and temperature cause L to decrease and the segregation coefficient k to increase more rapidly at the initial stage of SPE crystallization. These phenomena could be due to increased defect formation in the amorphous implanted layer. Additional O coimplantation leads to similar changes in L and k(x), due to Er-O complex formation. (C) 1999 American Institute of Physics. [S1063-7826(99)02401-1].