Accurate carrier profiling of n-type GaAs junctions

As CMOS is approaching the 22 nm node, the importance of high-mobility materials such as Ge and GaAs is rapidly increasing. For the timely development of these new technologies accurate dopant and carrier-profiling solutions for source-drain extensions with these materials are required. Identical n-type-doped (Si, Se) layers on same and opposite type medium-doped layers on S.I. GaAs substrates will be investigated, with layer thicknesses ranging from 200 down to 50 nm and doping concentration levels up to 1e20 at/cm3. In this work, secondary ion mass spectrometry will be used for dopant profiling. For GaAs carrier profiling, conventional spreading resistance probe, as commonly used in Si-CMOS, fails. Hence, reliable alternatives need to be found for characterizing these high–low structures. Techniques to be discussed range from the more conventional approaches such as Hall or electrochemical capacitance–voltage (performed by different laboratories), over micro-Raman spectroscopy and photo-luminescence along a beveled surface, up to more advanced approaches using scanning spreading resistance microscopy.