Strain profile of (001) silicon implanted with nitrogen by plasma immersion

Abstract

In this work, we investigate the strain and defect state of silicon implanted with nitrogen by plasma immersion ion implantation, with doses between 4.5×1016 and 8.7×1016 cm−2. For this purpose, we have used Auger electron spectroscopy, x-ray reflectivity, and high-resolution x-ray diffraction. Auger spectra showed that nitrogen concentration profiles broaden and shift deeper into the substrate as the dose increases. High oxygen concentration in the first 20 nm suggested the presence of an amorphous oxide layer at the sample surface, which was confirmed by x-ray reflectivity measurements. Reciprocal space maps revealed a tensile strain perpendicular to the surface, while no in-plane strain was detected. Since no significant diffuse scattering was found, randomly distributed point defects must be predominant in the strained region compared to large displacement field defects such as clusters and dislocations. ω∕2θ scans around (004) Bragg reflection were fitted using dynamical theory of x-ray diffraction. The strain profiles obtained from the best fits correlated well with nitrogen concentration depth profiles, signaling interstitial nitrogen as the main source of strain.