Residual defects in low-dose arsenic-implanted silicon after high-temperature annealing

We investigated the residual defects in low-dose (1013 cm−2) arsenic implanted Si after high-temperature (1100 °C) annealing. The presence of residual damage was successfully revealed after using a rapid thermal process for heat treatment. This damage was identified as vacancy-type defects distributed near the surface, such as tetravacancies or pentavacancies. When O2 gas was introduced to the annealing chamber, vacancy-type defects were transformed into divacancy and carbon–oxygen complex. They were confirmed to be created by a non-equilibrium reaction during the rapid cooling-down step in the annealing sequence.