Influence of an increase in the implantation dose of erbium ions and annealing temperature on photoluminescence in AlGaN/GaN superlattices and GaN epitaxial layers

Room-temperature photoluminescence (PL) has been studied in AlGaN/GaN superlattices and GaN epitaxial layers implanted with 1-MeV erbium at a dose of 3 × 10¹⁵ cm^?2 and annealed in argon. The intensity of PL from Er³⁺ ions in the superlattices exceeds that for the epitaxial layers at annealing temperatures of 700–1000°C. The strongest difference (by a factor of ～2.8) in PL intensity between the epitaxial layers and the superlattices and the highest PL intensity for the superlattices are observed upon annealing at 900°C. On raising the annealing temperature to 1050°C, the intensity of the erbium emission from the superlattices decreases substantially. This circumstance may be due to their thermal destruction.     

Photoluminescence study of ZnO varistor stability

Photoluminescence (PL) measurements were carried out on commercial ZnO varistor samples that were electrically stressed and/or annealed at different temperatures. Changes in the intensity of green and yellow luminescence centers were studied as a function of annealing treatment. It was found that the ZnO luminescence (green and yellow) decrease with increase in annealing temperature, reach a minimum at 700°C, and increase again beyond 800°C. Furthermore, these green and yellow luminescence bands observed in the PL spectra are quenched in the ZnO varistor samples, compared to pure ZnO. In an electrically stressed ZnO varistor sample, the luminescence intensity was found to be higher compared to the as-sintered varistor sample. Annealing of the stressed varistor sample resulted in a decrease of the luminescence intensity. These PL observations are consistent with previous deep level transient spectroscopy and doppler positron annihilation spectroscopy results. All of the experimental results are consistent with the ion migration model of degradation and can be explained using a grain boundary defect model.     

Photoluminescence properties of GaN with dislocations induced by plastic deformation

Fresh (a/3)[1120] dislocations on the (1100) prismatic plane were introduced into GaN bulk crystals by plastic deformation at 950–1000°C. In photoluminescence studies at 11 K, the near-band-edge (3.48 eV) luminescence intensity decreased remarkably in the deformed GaN, which was attributed to the introduction of high-density nonradiative recombination centers during plastic deformation. The yellow-band luminescence (2.22 eV) decreased due to plastic deformation, while several luminescence bands centered at 1.79, 1.92, and 2.4 eV developed. The dependence of PL features on deformation and annealing suggests that yellow luminescence is not related to the native structure of edge dislocations in GaN.     

Effect of Temperature on Structural and Morphologic Properties of ZnO Films Annealed in Ammonia Ambient

ZnO thin films were prepared on Si(111) substrates by pulsed laser deposition (PLD). Then, the samples were annealed at different temperatures in NH₃ ambient and their properties were investigated particularly as a function of annealing temperature. The structure, morphology, and optical properties of ZnO films were studied by x-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscope (FTIR), scanning electron microscope (SEM), and photoluminescence (PL). The results show that the increase of annealing temperature makes for the improvement in the crystal quality and surface morphology below the temperature of 650°C. However, when the annealing temperature is above 650°C, the ZnO films will volatilize and, especially at 750°C, ZnO will volatilize completely.     

Phase separation in Zn-doped InGaN grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

Zn-doped InGaN thin films were deposited on GaN/sapphire by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition, and studied by a combination of high-resolution X-ray diffraction (HR-XRD), micro-photoluminescence (PL) and secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). Indium phase separation is studied comparatively. HR-XRD exhibits a GaN band and a single band from InGaN for samples without phase separation, but two InGaN bands corresponding to different x(In) for samples with phase separation. PL excitation power dependence measurements reveal 2 sets of InGaN PL emissions for samples with phase separation, but only 1 set for samples without phase separation. SIMS data showed that phase separated InGaN:Zn films possess a high Zn concentration near the InGaN–GaN interface and non-uniform distributions of In and Zn contents, which are in contrast with data from InGaN:Zn films with no In-phase separation.     

Defect-related luminescence of GaN:Zn films thermally treated in a radio-frequency ammonia plasma

The effect of thermal annealing in nitrogen radicals obtained by the treatment of NH₃ in a radio-frequency discharge on the luminescence properties of GaN:Zn films grown by MOCVD/hydride epitaxy on sapphire (0001) substrates is investigated. As the thermal treatment temperature was increased, a steady weakening of the violet (2.88 eV) and near-edge (3.48 eV) photoluminescence bands was observed. As a result of the thermal treatment in nitrogen radicals at 500–750°C, new bands that peaked at 3.27 and 3.42 eV were detected; the intensities of these bands increased with increasing treatment temperature. The mechanism of formation and the origin of all the bands are analyzed comprehensively. It is found that the luminescence bands at 2.88, 3.42, and 3.27 eV are characteristic of the GaN films obtained by practically each technology and are associated with the simple structural defects. The participation of O in the formation of the band at 3.42 eV is proved experimentally.     

Activation annealing of Si-implanted GaN up to 1500°C using a novel RTP technique

A novel rapid thermal processing (RTP) unit called Zapper™ has recently been developed by MHI Inc. and the University of Florida for high temperature thermal processing of semiconductors. This Zapper™ unit is capable of reaching much higher temperatures (>1500°C) than conventional tungsten-halogen lamp RTP equipment and achieving high ramp-up and ramp-down rates. Implant activation annealing studies of Si⁺-implanted GaN thin films (with and without an AlN encapsulation layer) have been conducted using the Zapper™ unit at temperatures up to 1500°C. The measurements of electrical properties of such annealed samples have led to the conclusion that high annealing temperatures and AlN encapsulation are needed for the optimum activation efficiency of Si⁺ implants in GaN. It has clearly been demonstrated that the Zapper™ unit has tremendous potential for RTP annealing of semiconductor materials, especially for wide bandgap compound semiconductors that require very high processing temperatures.     

Effect of annealing temperature on 1.5 μm photoluminescence from Er-lmplanted 6H-SiC

The effect of post-implantation anneal on erbium-doped 6H-SiC has been investigated. 6H-SiC has been implanted with 330 keV Er⁺ at a dose of 1 × 1013 /cm2. Er depth profiles were obtained by secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). The as-implanted Er-profile had a peak concentration of∼1.3 × 10¹⁸/cm³ at a depth of 770Å. The samples were annealed in Ar at temperatures from 1200 to 1900°C. The photoluminescence intensity integrated over the 1.5 to 1.6 μm region is essentially independent of annealing temperature from 1400 to 1900°C. Reduced, but still significant PL intensity, was measured from the sample annealed at 1200°C. The approximate diffusivity of Er in 6H SiC was calculated from the SIMS profiles, yielding values from 4.5 × 10⁻¹⁶ cm²/s at 1200°C to 5.5 × 10⁻¹⁵ cm²/s at 1900°C.     

Si-implantation activation annealing of GaN up to 1400°C

Implant activation annealing of Si-implanted GaN is reported for temperatures from 1100 to 1400°C. Free electron concentrations up to 3.5×10²⁰ cm⁻³ are estimated at the peak of the implanted profile with Hall mobilities of ∼60 cm²/Vs for annealing at 1300°C for 30 s with an AIN encapsulant layer. This mobility is comparable to epitaxial GaN doped at a similarly high level. For annealing at ≥1300°C, the sample must be encapsulated with AIN to prevent decomposition of the GaN layer. Channeling Rutherford backscattering demonstrates the partial removal of the implant damage after a 1400°C anneal with a minimum channeling yield of 12.6% compared to 38.6% for the as-implanted spectrum. Scanning electron microscope images show evidence of decomposition of unencapsulated GaN after a 1300°C anneal and complete sublimation after 1400°C. The use of AIN encapsulation and annealing at temperatures of ∼1300°C will allow the formation of selective areas of highly doped GaN to reduce the contact and access resistance in GaN-based transistors and thyristors.     

Preparation and characterization of cubic lattice ZnS：Na Films with （111） preferred orientation

ZnS：Na thin films with （111） preferred orientation were deposited on glass substrates by vacuum evaporation method. The as-prepared films were annealed in flowing argon at 400--500 ℃ to improve the film crystallinity and electrically activate the dopants. The structural, optical and electrical properties of ZnS：Na films are investigated by X-ray diffrac- tion （XRD）, photoluminescence （PL）, optical transmittance measurements and the four-point probe method. Results show that the as-prepared ZnS：Na films are amorphous, and exhibit （111） preferred orientation after annealing at 400 --500 ℃. The PL emissions at 414 nm and 439 nm are enhanced due to the increase of the intrinsic defects induced by the thermal annealing. However, all the samoles exhibit high resistivitv due to the heavy self-compensation.     

Defect-related visible luminescence of ZnO nanorods annealed in oxygen ambient

ZnO nanorods prepared by a solution-phase method are annealed at different temperatures in oxygen ambient.The luminescence properties of the samples are investigated.In the same excitation condition,the photoluminescence(PL) spectra of all samples show an ultraviolet(UV) emission and a broad strong visible emission band.The asymmetric visible emis-sion band of annealed samples has a red-shift as the annealing temperature increasing from 200 ℃ to 600 ℃ and it can be deconvoluted into two subband emissions centered at 535 nm(green emission) and 611 nm(orange-red emission) by Gaussian-fitting analysis.Analyses of PL excitation(PLE) spectra and PL spectra at different excitation wavelengths reveal that the green emission and the orange-red emission have a uniform initial state,which can be attributed to the electron transition from Zn interstitial(Zni) to oxygen vacancy(Vo) and oxygen interstitial(Oi),respectively.     

Boron diffusion in silicon

Well-defined control of high-and low-temperature anneals of boron implanted in silicon is important in the calculation of shallow p-n junction profiles used in MOSFET's. Here, a sample matrix of boron implanted into silicon over a range of fluences and annealing temperatures is considered. The matrix of samples was measured by SIMS (secondary ion mass spectrometry). The measured profiles were compared with simulations from an annealing/diffusion model. Calculations of the annealed profiles were found to be in agreement with the SIMS data at temperatures greater than 1000°C. At lower temperatures, the profiles exhibit effects due to implantation damage which are not included in the diffusion model.     

Electrical and optical activation studies of Si-implanted GaN

Comprehensive and systematic electrical and optical activation studies of Si-implanted GaN were made as a function of ion dose and anneal temperature. Silicon ions were implanted at 200 keV with doses ranging from 1×10¹³ cm^?2 to 5×10¹⁵ cm^?2 at room temperature. The samples were proximity-cap annealed from 1050°C to 1350°C with a 500-Å-thick AlN cap in a nitrogen environment. The optimum anneal temperature for high dose implanted samples is approximately 1350°C, exhibiting nearly 100% electrical activation efficiency. For low dose (≤5×10¹⁴ cm^?2) samples, the electrical activation efficiencies continue to increase with an anneal temperature through 1350°C. Consistent with the electrical results, the photoluminescence (PL) measurements show excellent implantation damage recovery after annealing the samples at 1350°C for 20 sec, exhibiting a sharp neutral-donor-bound exciton peak along with a sharp donor-acceptor pair peak. The mobilities increase with anneal temperature, and the highest mobility obtained is 250 cm²/Vs. The results also indicate that the AlN cap protected the implanted GaN layer during high-temperature annealing without creating significant anneal-induced damage.     

Sputtered copper films with insoluble Mo for Cu metallization: A thermal annealing study

The thermal annealing behavior of Cu films containing insoluble 2.0 at. % Mo magnetron co-sputtered on Si substrates is discussed in the present study. The Cu-Mo films were vacuum annealed at temperatures ranging from 200°C to 800°C. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observations have shown that Cu₄Si was formed at 530°C, whereas pure Cu film exhibited Cu₄Si growth at 400°C. Twins are observed in focused ion beam (FIB) images of as-deposited and 400°C annealed, pure Cu film, and these twins result from the intrinsically low stacking-fault energy. Twins appearing in pure Cu film may offer an extra diffusion channel during annealing for copper silicide formation. In Cu-Mo films, the shallow diffusion profiles for Cu into Si were observed through secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) analysis. Higher activation energy obtained through differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis for the formation of copper silicide further confirms the beneficial effect of Mo on the thermal stability of Cu film.     

Formation of nanocrystalline silicon films using high-dose H<Superscript>+</Superscript> ion implantation into silicon-on-insulator layers with subsequent rapid thermal annealing

The formation of nanocrystalline Si films as a result of rapid thermal annealing of silicon-on-insulator structures implanted with high doses of H⁺ ions is studied. It is ascertained that the process of formation of Si nanocrystals is active even at temperatures of 300–400°C and is controlled by the hydrogen content in the silicon film and by the duration of annealing. It is concluded that the formation of nuclei of the crystalline phase occurs in silicon islands surrounded by microvoids and is caused by the ordering of Si-Si bonds in the course of release of hydrogen from the bound state. It is important that microvoids do not coalesce at temperatures up to ～900°C in conditions of rapid thermal annealing. It is found that synthesized films exhibit luminescence in the green-orange region of the spectrum at room temperature.     

Metalorganic vapor phase epitaxial growth,characterization and annealing experiments on InP doping superlattices

InP doping superlattices (DSLs) were grown by atmospheric pressure metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE) and their stability was examined by annealing at high temperatures. Diethylzinc (DEZ) and H₂S were used asp- andn-type doping sources, respectively. Photoluminescence (PL) measurements performed on as grown layers show a shift of the main emission peak with increasing excitation power in very good agreement with theoretical models. A comparison of the PL results between these structures and the annealed samples show that even at very high temperatures (up to 850° C) the tunability of the effective bandgap of the annealed superlattices is possible, although less pronounced than for the as grown layers. This is due to diffusion of the dopants, into adjacent layers and partial compensation of each other. Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) done on the as grown and annealed samples shows that only the Zn atoms diffuse. Diffusion coefficients obtained from the SIMS profiles give values in the range 1 × 10⁻¹⁴ <D < 9 × 10⁻¹⁴ cm²/s, still smaller than other published values estimated on layers, which did not suffer any treatment. This shows the high quality and stability of our layers even at high temperatures.     

The effects of oxygen,nitrogen, and hydrogen annealing on Mg acceptors in GaN as monitored by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy

Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy is used to study the unpassivated Mg-related acceptor in GaN films. As expected, the trends observed before and after O₂, N₂, or forming-gas anneals at temperatures <800°C are similar to those typically reported for electrical measurements. However, annealing at temperatures >850°C in O₂ or N₂ permanently removes the signal, contrary to the results of conductivity measurements. Approximately 10¹⁹ cm⁻³ Mg acceptors were detected in some GaN films grown by chemical vapor deposition (CVD) before acceptor activation, suggesting that it is possible to have electrically active Mg in as-grown CVD material.     

Growth and characterization of GaN thin films on SiC SOI substrates

SiC semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) structures have been investigated as substrates for the growth of GaN films. The SiC SOI was obtained through the conversion of Si SOI wafers by reaction with propane and H₂. (111) SiC SOI have been produced by this carbonization process at temperatures ranging from 1200 to 1300°C. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) are used to chart the conversion of the Si layer to SiC. Under our conditions, growth time of 3 min at 1250°C is sufficient to completely convert a 1000? layer. XRD of the SiC SOI reveals a single SiC peak at 2θ = 35.7° corresponding to the (111) reflection, with a corrected full width at half-maximum (FWHM) of ~590±90 arc-sec. Infrared spectroscopy of SiC SOI structures obtained under optimum carboniza-tion conditions exhibited a sharp absorption peak produced by the Si-C bond at 795 cm⁻¹, with FWHM of ∼ 20–25 cm⁻¹. Metalorganic CVD growth of GaN on the (111) SiC SOI was carried out with trimethylgallium and NH₃. The growth of a thin (≤200?), low temperature (500°C) GaN buffer layer was followed by the growth of a thick (∼2 μm) layer at 1050°C. Optimum surface morphology was obtained for zero buffer layer. XRD indicates highly oriented hexagonal GaN, with FWHM of the (0002) peak of ~360±90 arc-sec. Under high power excitation, the 300°K photoluminescence (PL) spectrum of GaN films exhibits a strong near band-edge peak (at λ_p~371 nm, with FWHM = 100–150 meV) and very weak yellow emission. Under low power excitation, the 370 nm PL emission from the GaN/SiC SOI structure increases rapidly with SiC carbonization temperature, while the yellow band (∼550–620 nm) correspondingly decreases.     

Co-Implantation and autocompensation in close contact rapid thermal annealing of Si-implanted GaAs:Cr

Close contact rapid thermal annealing of semi-insulating GaAs:Cr implanted with Si, Si + Al, and Si + P has been studied using variable temperature Hall effect measurements and low temperature (4.2K) photoluminescence (PL) spectroscopy. Isochronal (10 sec) and isothermal (1000° C) anneals indicate that As is lost from the surface during close contact annealing at high anneal temperatures and long anneal times. Samples which were implanted with Si alone show maximum activation at an annealing temperature of 900° C, above which activation efficiency decreases. Low temperature Hall and PL measurements indicate that this reduced activation is due to increasing auto-compensation of Si donors by Si acceptors at higher anneal temperatures. However, co-implantation of column V elements can increase the activation of Si implants by reducing Si occupancy of As sites and increasing Si occupancy of Ga sites, and therebyoffset the effects of As loss from the surface. For samples implanted with Si + P, activation increases continuously up to a maximum at an anneal temperature of 1050° C, and both low temperature Hall and PL measurements indicate that autocompensation does not increase in this case as the anneal temperature increases. In contrast, samples implanted with Si + Al show very low activation and very high compensation at all anneal temperatures, as expected. The use of column V co-implants in conjunction with close contact RTA can produce excellent donor activation of Si implanted GaAs.     

Photoluminescence properties and chemical bond variations of SiN x :H films with silicon quantum dots

Hydrogenated silicon nitride(SiNx :H) thin films are deposited on p-type silicon substrates by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition(PECVD) using a gas mixture of ammonia and silane at 230 °C.The chemical compositions and optical properties of these films,which are dealt at different annealing temperatures,are investigated by Fourier transform infrared(FTIR) absorption spectroscopy and photoluminescence(PL) spectroscopy,respectively.It is shown that the FTIR presents an asymmetric Si-N stretching mode,whose magnitude is enhanced and position is shifted towards higher frequencies gradually with the increase of the annealing temperature.Meanwhile,it is found that the PL peak shows red shift with its magnitude decreasing,and disappears at 1100 °C.The FTIR and PL spectra characteristics suggest that the light emission is attributed to the quantum confinement effect of the carriers inside silicon quantum dots embedded in SiNx : H thin films.