SOLID-PHASE EPITAXIAL REGROWTH OF SB-IMPLANTED SI1-XGEX STRAINED LAYERS - KINETICS AND ELECTRICAL-PROPERTIES

Kinetics and electrical properties of solid-phase epitaxial regrown (SPEG) layers of Sb-implanted strained Si1-xGex alloys are reported. Two sets of Si1-xGex epilayers with compositions of x=0.08 and 0.18, molecular beam epitaxy grown on Si(100) substrates, were implanted at room temperature with Sb+ ions at an energy of 200 and 100 keV, respectively, and doses of 10(14) and 10(15) ions/cm2. A set of Si(100) samples was also implanted as a reference. The samples were annealed at temperatures of 525, 550, and 575-degrees-C for durations between 5 s and 10 min. For the higher-dose Sb-implanted Si0.92Ge0.08 layer (10(15) cm-2) ion backscattering measurements in the channeling mode show a decrease in the regrowth rate compared to Sb-implanted Si(100). The activation energy of the SPEG process for the Si0.92Ge0.08 alloy was 2.9+/-0.2 eV, higher than the value of 2.4+/-0.2 eV obtained for pure Si. For the alloy with 18% Ge the SPEG rate for the 10(15) cm-2 dose was much smaller compared to the sample with 8% Ge. For the lower-dose implantation (10(14) cm-2) the regrowth rates for Si0.92Ge0.08 and pure Si were very close, and the activation energies were 2.8+/-0.2 and 2.7+/-0.2, respectively. It was also found that the SPEG mte in a rapid thermal annealing was significantly higher than that for a sample heated in a conventional furnace.