DISTRIBUTION MECHANISM OF VOIDS IN SI-IMPLANTED GAAS

Voids, formed by the condensation of an excess of implantation-induced vacancies, have been recently identified as the defect directly responsible for dopant diffusion and electrical activation anomalies in Si-implanted and annealed GaAs and GaAs/AlGaAs superlattice materials. Depending on the implanted dose, voids can be distributed either throughout the implanted region or in two bands. We have examined the origin of this void distribution difference. In the as-implanted sample associated with the latter case, a buried continuous band of amorphous GaAs has formed. GaAs formed by the recrystallization of amorphous GaAs does not contain excess vacancies and therefore cannot form voids. However, on either side of the amorphous layer, the excess vacancies can condense to form the observed banded distribution of voids. In the as-implanted sample associated with the former case, a continuous amorphous GaAs layer did not form, and therefore, upon annealing, voids are seen throughout the implanted region.