Abstract
In this work we investigate the diffusion and precipitation of supersaturated substitutional carbon in 200-nm-thick SiGeC layers buried under a silicon cap layer of 40 nm. The samples were annealed in either inert (N2) or oxidizing (O2) ambient at 850 °C for times ranging from 2 to 10 h. The silicon self-interstitial (I) flux coming from the surface under oxidation enhances the C diffusion with respect to the N2-annealed samples. In the early stages of the oxidation process, the loss of C from the SiGeC layer by diffusion across the layer/cap interface dominates. This phenomenon saturates after an initial period (2-4 h), which depends on the C concentration. This saturation is due to the formation and growth of C-containing precipitates that are promoted by the I injection and act as a sink for mobile C atoms. The influence of carbon concentration on the competition between precipitation and diffusion is discussed.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 667-672 |
Number of pages | 6 |
Journal | Applied Physics A: Materials Science and Processing |
Volume | 75 |
Issue number | 6 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Dec 2002 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- General Chemistry
- General Materials Science