A new process to manufacture thin SiGe and SiGeC epitaxial films on silicon by ion implantation and excimer laser annealing

Epitaxial Si1-yCy and Si1-x-yGexCy alloy layers are grown on monocrystallin e silicon substrates by multiple energy ion implantation of Ge and C into s ingle Si crystals followed by pulse excimer laser annealing. The properties of the alloy layers are determined precisely using spectroscopic ellipsome try (SE), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Rutherford backscattering (RBS) techn iques. We show that annealing energy densities higher than 2 J/cm(2) result in monocrystalline epitaxial layers with low quantity of defects. The latt ice contraction due to the carbon inclusion increases with the implanted C concentration up to about 1.1%. For higher values a more complex behavior i s observed with partial (or total) relaxation of the layer and/or carbide f ormation. With optimized condition, the growing of pseudomorphic epitaxial layers, from group IV semiconductor alloys was successful on large areas (1 J/cm(2) over 40 cm(2) in one pulse). (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All ri ghts reserved.