Evolution of erbium lattice locations in silicon: Effects of thermal annealing and codoped impurities (carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and fluorine)

摘要

The effects of thermal annealing and codoped impurities including carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and fluorine, on the occupation of erbium lattice locations in Si, have been investigated in detail. Ion channeling measurements indicate that ion-implanted Er can mainly occupy two distinct lattice locations in silicon, i.e., the tetrahedral (T) and hexagonal (H) interstitial sites, with their respective population depending on thermal annealing and codoped impurity contents. Interestingly, all four codopant species under study give rise to strikingly similar effects on the occupation of Er lattice locations: to promote and stabilize Er on the H site. Our work suggests that interactions among Er, codoped impurities, and crystal defects are cooperative in determining the Er lattice locations in Si.