World Journal of Nuclear Science and Technology, 2012, 2, 174-180 http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/wjnst.2012.24027 Published Online October 2012 (http://www.SciRP.org/journal/wjnst) New Method for Diagnostics of Ion Implantation Induced Charge Carrier Traps in Micro- and Nanoelectronic Devices Mukhtar Ahmed Rana1,2 1Physics Department, International Islamic University, Kashmir Highways, Islamabad, Pakistan. 2Physics Division, Directorate of Science, Institute of Nuclear Science and Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan Email: [email protected], [email protected], [email protected] Received August 14, 2012; revised September 15, 2012; accepted September 25, 2012 ABSTRACT An important problem of defect charging in electron-hole plasma in a semiconductor electronic device is investigated using the analogy of dust charging in dusty plasmas. This investigation yielded physical picture of the problem along with the mathematical model. Charging and discharging mechanism of charge carrier traps in a semiconductor elec- tronic device is also given. Potential applications of the study in semiconductor device technology are discussed. It would be interesting to find out how dust acoustic waves in electron-hole plasma in micro and nanoelectronic devices can be useful in finding out charge carrier trap properties of impurities or defects which serve as dust particles in elec- tron-hole (e-h) plasma. A new method based on an established technique “deep level transient spectroscopy” (DLTS) is described here suggesting the determination of properties of charge carrier traps in present and future semiconductor devices by measuring the frequency of dust acoustic waves (DAW). Relationship between frequency of DAW and properties of traps is described mathematically proposing the basis of a technique, called here, dust mode frequency deep level transient spectroscopy (DMF-DLTS). Keywords: Semiconductors; Ion Implantation; Defects; Dust Acoustic Waves; Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy; Electron-Hole Plasma; Nanoelectronics 1. Introduction rier traps, and their electronic implications in Ge and similar materials have not been understood with suffici- During the fabrication, defect or particulate contamina- ent details, so a comprehensive understanding of proper- tion of microelectronic device structures is a serious con- cern. It can be due to unwanted growth on growth reactor ties of defects (vacancies and self-interstitials) in Ge and walls or impurities in supply of atomic species in the related materials, and their interactions with impurity reactor. Extended defect structures are also formed in atoms is still required [4-7]. These elemental defects join different semiconductors used in electronic devices dur- impurities in implanted/doped semiconductors to form ing ion implantation. Extended structures in ion implan- defect clusters which act as charge carrier traps. A gen- ted Sb doped Ge (Ge: Sb) form extended defect struc- eralized model for charging and discharging of defects in tures which show high thermal stability and also trans- semiconductor electronic devices is presented here along form to other defect phases rather than repair. These de- with its perspective applications. fects have fatal effects on transport of charge carriers in semiconductor thin films used in electronic devices, 2. A Model of Defect/Impurity Charging which makes knowledge about them important [1-4]. 2.1. Physical Picture Due to limitation of carrier mobility in Si, Ge has emerged as a key ingredient material for fabrication of a new gen- In a perfect crystal of, say, Ge or Si, all the atoms are at eration of ultrafast devices in the regime of tens of giga- their lattice sites and do not have ability to trap additional hertz. Ion implantation can be used to write a network of charge carriers. If impurities are introduced in a perfect devices on a semiconductor wafer due to possibility of crystal, they get ability to trap charge carriers. It may be controlled implantation beam size and energy, and mask- noted that self interstitial and vacancies are also defects ing of the target wafer. and can trap charge carriers. In real crystalline structure Elemental implantation defects, especially charge car- grown for use in devices, contain a variety of defects and Copyright © 2012 SciRes. WJNST M. A. RANA 175 sometimes form defect clusters. These clusters are nor- becomes lower than de Broglie wavelength of any spe- mally composed of vacancy-dopant or interstitial-dopant cific specie which assures that that the case e-h plasma clusters. These extended clusters can trap a considerable being discussed here is of classical nature. If we take fraction of electrons or holes present in the active volume charge of electron as –e, hole as +e and defect or dust of a device. grain s – Zd·e, the well-known condition of charge neu- It is thought that these types of extended defect clus- trality can be written as below: ters are present in N-type Ge and prevent the feasibility ne ne n Z e 0 (1) of high speed electronic devices. Depending upon crystal ehdd and dopant, preset defect clusters can trap electrons or Using simple algebra, holes depending on the coulomb potential around defect, nned 1 Zd (2) impurities or a defect cluster. Electron-hole plasmas are nnhh found in electronic devices crystals exposed to optical excitations etc. Defect clusters are exposed to electron For any practical device, defect grain density is much and hole currents due to which they are charged. Defect lower than densities of electrons and holes, so the number n charging in semiconductors is quite complex. After charg- d Zd 1 ing processes end, charged defects start discharging na- nh turally. Charging/discharging of defect clusters in semi- which is the case of isolated dust or defect grains [8-11]. conductor devices are important and affect performance It may also be noted that in present devices defect grains of devices. Charging and discharging of defects can be can be only up to a few nanometer size. Maximum charge used for characterization of charge carrier traps in micro on defect depends upon defect structure and its size. A and nanoelectronic devices. Behaviour of deep level isolated defect or dust grain in e-h plasma attains a float- traps, which forms the basis for DLTS technique, is de- ing potential p which is determined by electron repul- scribed by a schematic in Figure 1 showing electron and sion and hole collection in case of net negative charging hole traps in a semiconductor. Capture & emission by of defects. The electron current responsible for deposit- deep-level traps in a semiconductor. DLTS makes use of ing electrons on the defect is given by, the measurement of the depletion region of a simple 12 semiconductor electronic device, normally, a Schottky 2 kT e p Iaen4e Be xp (3) diode. In such a measurement, the regular reverse polari- ee 2mkeBTe zation of the diode is modified by the probing voltage pulse, resulting in the flow of carriers from the bulk to where me and Te are electron effective mass and tem- the measurement region, charging the defects or traps. perature, and a is the radius of the equivalent sphere of After the pulse ends, thermal emission of carriers from defect grain. The hole current compensating electron the traps produces the capacitance transient in the device, charging of a defect is given by, called the DLTS signal. 12 2 kTBh e p Iaenhh4e xp (4) 2mkT 2.2. Mathematical Model hBh Suppose an electron-hole plasma is generated in an elec- where mh and Th are hole effective mass and temperature. tronic device with electron density as n and hole density For further details of Equations (3), (4), please see Refs. e [8-12]. The charging equation of a negatively charged n For simplicity, we assume here extended defect clus- h grain can be written as below, [8-10]. ters capable of trapping a considerable number of elec- dZ II trons. We consider a case of net electron trapping or de h (5) negatively charged defects in a semiconductor device. dte The model situation resembles the typical case of ion implanted Ge:Sb. For the simplicity, we assume that at the time of generation of electron-hole plasma, ne – nh. In implanted Ge:Sb, highly stable vacancy-antimony-Ge clusters (VSlmb Ge n) are present which are thought to be electron traps in this n-type Ge. These extended defect clusters get charged like dust particles and grains in elec- tron-ion plasma. Let the density of defect cluster or dust grain in e-h plasma, generated in the above mentioned device, is nd. Figure 1. Energy band diagram for a semiconductor with We further assume here that densities of electrons and deep-level traps. EC is lower edge of the conduction band holes are below the limit at which inter particle distance while EV is the upper edge of the valence band. Copyright © 2012 SciRes. WJNST 176 M. A. RANA Case of hole or positive charging of defects can be de- Here, following questions about e-h-dust plasma in scribed using a simple analogy and comparison between semiconductor devices are investigated. What can be the electrons and holes. nature of dust modes in e-h-dust plasma in semiconduc- tor devices? Can these dust modes be useful in diagnos- 2.3. Mechanism of Charging and Discharging of tics of present or future micro or nanoelectronic devices? Electron Traps in an Electronic Device What can be the practical method of utilizing dust modes in diagnostics of semiconductor devices? Electron traps are centers in a semiconductor capable of Dust particles (impurities or defects) in a semiconduc- trapping electrons with a certain binding energy. Traps tor device act as electron or hole traps depending upon its cause power dissipation and reduce conductivity of the electronic structure. If a pulse of electrons or holes is device.