Ion beam synthesis of IrSi3 by implantation of 2 MeV Ir ions

Formation of a buried IrSi3 layer in (111) oriented Si by ion implantation and annealing has been studied at an implantation energy of 2 MeV for substrate temperatures of 450--550C. Rutherford backscattering (RBS), ion channeling and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy showed that a buried epitaxial IrSi3 layer is produced at 550C by implanting ≥ 3.4 x 1017 Ir/cm2 and subsequently annealing for 1 h at 1000C plus 5 h at 1100C. At a dose of 3.4 x 1017 Ir/cm2, the thickness of the layer varied between 120 and 190 nm and many large IrSi3 precipitates were present above and below the film. Increasing the dose to 4.4 x 1017 Ir/cm2 improved the layer uniformity at the expense of increased lattice damage in the overlying Si. RBS analysis of layer formation as a function of substrate temperature revealed the competition between the mechanisms for optimizing surface crystallinity vs. IrSi3 layer formation. Little apparent substrate temperature dependence was evident in the as-implanted state but after annealing the crystallinity of the top Si layer was observed to deteriorate with increasing substrate temperature while the precipitate coarsening and coalescence improved