As⁺ and Ga⁺ implantation and the formation of buried GaAs layers in silicon

Abstract

A buried layer of GaAs was formed in single-crystal silicon by dual implantation of extremely high doses of As+ plus Ga+ at 200 keV, followed by furnace annealing. The layer consists of polycrystalline grains with random orientation. Rapid thermal annealing, in the presence of oxygen, does not result in the formation of GaAs. Instead, Ga and As migrate to the surface to form an oxidized layer, which is separated from the underlying silicon by a thin layer of SiO2. Analysis of the samples with single implants of Ga+ or As+ indicates the oxides formed to be Ga2O3 and As2O2. Samples implanted with As+ alone have essentially dislocation loops after annealing, while those implanted with only Ga+ have mostly microtwins and precipitates. Up to 88% Ga and 62% As from the single implants and 31% As and Ga from the dual implants are lost during annealing. This is probably due to the migration of the implanted species to the surface and the subsequent formation of volatile oxides. However, such outward migration does not result in redistribution or broadening of the implanted species.