Nonequilibrium boron doping effects in low-temperature epitaxial silicon films

Abstract

We report the first preparation of in situ boron-doped epilayers by a low-temperature chemical vapor deposition process (T=550 °C). Boron incorporation is approximately linear in source gas concentration, and active levels of boron incorporation exceeding 1×1020 B/cm3 have been achieved in as-deposited 550 °C epilayers. This value exceeds solid solubility limits for boron in silicon at these temperatures by two orders of magnitude, and highlights the nonequilibrium nature of this process. High resolution transmission electron microscopy lattice imaging of this material shows it to be free of boron precipitates, while both plane view transmission electron microscopy and x-ray topography fail to reveal extended defects. Utilizing low-temperature processing throughout, p/n junctions have been fabricated in several of the in situ doped layers, with essentially ideal junction quality factors (n=1.0 –1.05) found for junctions of 1×106 μm2.