Three-Dimensional Characterization of Deuterium Implanted in Silicon Using Atom Probe Tomography

Abstract

Although characterization of hydrogen (H) in silicon (Si) is of interest from a device physics viewpoint, this is difficult using conventional analytical methods. In this study, deuterium (D) was used as a proxy for H, and the distribution of implanted D-ions in Si(100) was investigated using atom probe tomography (APT). D can be distinguished from the residual H gas in the APT chamber. The APT results indicated that D tended to form clusters, whose distribution was similar to that of 311 defects identified using transmission electron microscopy, suggesting that the D ions segregate in the vicinity of these defects.