The stress assisted evolution of point and extended defects in silicon

As semiconductor devices are scaled to sub-micron dimensions, they are becoming more complex in geometry and materials. Stress related problems are therefore pervasive and critical in ultralarge scale integrated technology. High levels of stress can cause severe degradation of device characteristics by generating and propagating dislocations in the silicon substrate. Furthermore, stress in the silicon substrate can cause dopant redistribution to an extent it can no longer be neglected when designing scaled devices. In this study the effect of stress, generated from patterned nitride stripes on silicon, on the diffusion of phosphorus and evolution of ion-implanted dislocation loops is investigated. Phosphorus displays retarded diffusion, while the dislocation loops are smaller and less dense in the compressive regions under the nitride film. (C) 1997 American institute of Physics.