cw argon laser annealing of ion-implanted silicon

Abstract

We report on the annealing behavior of ion‐implanted silicon exposed to cw argon laser radiation. The quality of the annealing was studied using channeling, in situ reflectivity, phase‐contrast microscopy, and electrical resistivity. Strong dependence of anneal quality on laser power, crystal orientation, and implant dose is reported. Reflectivity measurements with a focused probing laser show that the onset of annealing occurs just below the melting point, and the annealing extends into the region where a thin layer of liquid silicon is formed at the crystal surface. We conclude that the physical mechanism responsible for crystal recovery is similar to the solid‐state epitaxial regrowth observed for over‐annealed samples.