Evolution of hydrogen induced defects during annealing of plasma treated Czochralski silicon

✍ Scribed by Heidi Nordmark; Alexander Ulyashin; John C. Walmsley; Bård Tøtdal; Randi Holmestad

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2006
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 651 KB
• Volume: 253
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0168-583X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nimb.2006.10.043

✦ Synopsis

Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) are used to study the temperature evolution of hydrogen plasma induced defects in silicon. Hydrogen plasma treated n-and p-doped Czochralski silicon samples were annealed at temperatures between 200 and 1000 °C for up to 10 h in air. Platelets are formed on {1 1 1} and {1 0 0} crystallographic planes. The structural defects are similar in n-type and p-type material. Small defects at the surface anneal out at temperatures above 400 °C and {1 1 1} platelets start to dissolve above 500 °C, except in highly p-doped samples where the platelets are stable up to 600 °C. The hydrogen penetrates deeper into a low doped than a high doped sample, resulting in platelet formation deeper into the sample. At annealing temperatures above 800 °C, an amorphous oxide layer forms at the surface of the sample. New platelets form after 1 h annealing at 1000 °C. The roughest surface is found in highly n-doped samples, hydrogenated at high plasma frequency for long exposure times. For high annealing temperatures the roughness decreases.