Electron microscopy studies of ion implanted silicon

The nature of defects resulting from the implantation of phosphorous ions into doped silicon and a model of how they form are reported. This involved an electron microscope study of the crystallographic defects (in the 300A size range in concentration of 1015/cm3) that form upon annealing. Images formed by these crystallographic defects are complex and that nonconventional imaging techniques are required for their characterization. The images of these small defects (about 300A) are sensitive to various parameters, such as foil thickness, their position in the foil, and diffracting conditions. The defects were found to be mostly interstitial hexagonal Frank loops lying on the four [111] planes and a few perfect interstitial loops; these loops occurred in concentrations of about 1016/cm3. In addition, ''rod like'' linear defects that are shown to be interstitial are also found in concentrations of 1013/cm3. It was found that the linear defects require boron for their formation. A model is proposed to account for the interstitial defects. The number of point defects that make up the defects is of the same order as the number of implanted ions. The model predicts that only interstitial loops ought to be observed in agreement with several recent investigations. Dislocation models of the loops are examined and it is shown that phosphorous ions could segregate to the Frank loops, changing their displacement vectors to a/x[111]. (x greater than 3) thus explaining the contrast effects observed. It would also explain the relative electrical inactivity of P+ ion implants