Nano-cluster formation in Ge+Sn implanted SiO2 layers

✍ Scribed by P.I. Gaiduk; S.L. Prokoph’ev; N.M. Kazuchits; V.I. Plebanovich; W. Wesch; A. Nylandsted Larsen

• Publisher: Elsevier Science
• Year: 2007
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 430 KB
• Volume: 257
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0168-583X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.nimb.2006.12.116

✦ Synopsis

Thermally grown, 200 nm thick layers of SiO 2 were double implanted with Ge + and Sn + ions in turn and the resulting SiO 2 (Ge+Sn)/ Si structures were annealed at 400-900°C for 30 min. Using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and electron diffraction (TED), clear evidence is found that the layers of SiO 2 contain Ge and Sn nano-clusters. Depending on the conditions of implantation and thermal treatment the average size and the density of the nano-clusters vary within 10-20 nm and 10 10 -10 11 cm À2 respectively. Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS) demonstrated that no visible redistribution of Ge and Sn takes place after thermal treatment at 400-800 °C and only slow segregation of dopants at the SiO 2 /Si interface occurs at 900 °C for the sample implanted with high ion fluence. The cathodoluminescence (CL) spectra obtained from the SiO 2 (Ge+Sn)/Si structures contain intensive peaks in blue and near-infrared regions.