Characterization and analysis of epitaxial silicon phosphorus alloys for use in n-channel transistors

Chemical vapor deposition of Si:C and Si:C:P films—Evaluation of material quality as a function of C content, carrier gas and doping

“…The smearing of the layers in the horizontal plane illustrates the existence of crystalline defects (twinning defects and stacking faults). It is to be noted that Weeks et al [37], have also observed a similar behavior for highly doped Si:P films and reported defect free Si:P films upto a certain critical thickness followed by an abrupt defective growth.…”

On the manifestation of phosphorus-vacancy complexes in epitaxial Si:P films

“…2,3 The use of Si:P S/D stressors is a more recent approach wherein the high amounts of P (>1 Â 10 21 at./cm 3 ) enable to combine the advantages of a high conductivity with strain introduction in the channel. 4 Even though recent works describe the obtained performance improvement for n-FinFETs, not many reports are available on the fundamental understanding of the properties of the Si:P films in relation to the electrical characteristics. The mechanism of the conductivity enhancement upon annealing still needs to be explained.…”

Effect of P Concentration on Ti Silicide Formation in In‐Situ P Doped Epitaxial Si Films

“…For example, in the case of n ‐channel metal oxide semiconductor field‐effect transistors with a strained carbon‐doped Si (Si:C)‐containing source/drain (S/D) region, carrier mobility can be increased by subjecting the channel to tensile stress . The utilization of in situ P‐doped (ISPD) S/D materials has been shown to improve mobility and lower contact and sheet resistances, which has inspired an ongoing search for substitutes of Si:C as S/D materials . However, the processes occurring at P concentrations above the solid solubility limit are not yet fully understood, for example, although silicide formation is known to be suppressed in substrates with high concentrations of ion implantation–introduced P or As, ISPD substrates are still underexplored because of the difficulty of epitaxial growth at high P concentrations …”

“…[4] The utilization of in situ P-doped (ISPD) S/D materials has been shown to improve mobility and lower contact and sheet resistances, which has inspired an ongoing search for substitutes of Si:C as S/D materials. [5,6] However, the processes occurring at P concentrations above the solid solubility limit are not yet fully understood, for example, although silicide formation is known to be suppressed in substrates with high concentrations of ion implantation-introduced P or As, ISPD substrates are still underexplored because of the difficulty of epitaxial growth at high P concentrations. [7,8] In recent years, the formation of silicides on P-rich ISPD substrates has been extensively investigated and has been shown to result in a change of as-formed silicide texture or an increase of the silicide formation temperature.…”