ASSESSMENT OF IMPLANTATION DAMAGE BY BACKSCATTER KIKUCHI DIFFRACTION IN THE SCANNING ELECTRON-MICROSCOPE

Surface damage caused by ion implantation is assessed by backscatter K ikuchi diffraction in the scanning electron microscope. Backscatter Ki kuchi diffraction patterns from Si(100) specimens implanted with diffe rent doses of 80-keV Ge ions between 3 X 10(12) and 3 X 10(14) ions cm -2 are obtained. The pattern contrast is quantified in a straightforwa rd procedure employing standard image-processing operations. A compari son between the contrast in backscattering Kikuchi diffraction pattern s and the channeling minimum in energy spectra by Rutherford backscatt ering spectrometry as a measure for surface implantation damage is mad e. As it turns out, both measures are about equally sensitive to the l evel of the surface implantation damage. The lateral resolution (< 100 nm) and the high surface sensitivity (of the order of 10 nm) of backs catter Kikuchi diffraction may be exploited to study lateral implantat ion profiles with sub-mum resolution.