Boron ripening during solid-phase epitaxy of amorphous silicon

By means of large-scale molecular dynamics simulations we provide a thorough atomic-scale picture of boron incorporation in crystalline silicon upon solid-phase epitaxy. The present results show that boron can either be incorporated as a substitutional dopant or form clusters with a low content of silicon self-interstitials. A full characterization of the formation process of boron-interstitial clusters and their stoichiometry is presented. The present results are consistent with available experimental information and also provide a deep physical insight into B-doped silicon solid-phase epitaxy.