Dislocation-Related Photoluminescence in Silicon Implanted with Germanium Ions

Abstract

The influence exerted by the conditions of the post-implantation annealing of silicon implanted with germanium ions on how luminescence centers are formed is studied. Measurements by the technique of the Rutherford backscattering of medium- and high-energy ions demonstrates that implantation with 1-MeV germanium ions at a dose of 1.5 × 10¹⁴ cm^–2 does not lead to the amorphization of single-crystal silicon. It is found that subsequent high-temperature annealing of the implanted samples in a chlorine-containing atmosphere at a temperature of 1100°C for 0.5–1.5 h gives rise to so-called D1 and D2 dislocation-related luminescence lines with wavelengths of 1.54 and 1.42 μm. With increasing annealing duration, the intensity of the D1 line decreases and that of D2 remains constant, but the D1 line dominates in all the spectra. The possible factors responsible for a decrease in the intensity of the D1 line and, in particular, the diffusion of germanium atoms and the formation of a silicon–germanium solid solution are discussed.