Ultra-shallow junction layers are required for deep submicron CMOS and quantum devices. Low-temperature (320°C) molecular-beam epitaxy was used to form highly conductive, ultra-shallow layers in silicon using boron delta doping. The as-grown junction depths, determined with secondary ion mass spectrometry, ranged from 7 nm to 18 nm. A minimum resistivity of 3 x 10-4 ?-cm was obtained when the delta-doped layers were spaced 2.5 nm apart. The sheet resistances of the epitaxial layers, plotted as a function of junction depth, followed the theoretical curve for a boxdoped layer having a boron doping concentration equal to the solid solubility limit, 6 x 1020/cm3. Minimal change was detected in either the atomic profiles or the resistivity after a 10 s rapid thermal anneal (RTA) or a 10 min furnace anneal (FA) up to 700°C. The sheet resistances of the as-grown shallow junctions are substantially less than those obtained by ion implantation. Only after the 800 °C FA did the MBE-grown layers degrade to have as large a sheet resistance as the best ion implanted layers.
|