Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 February 2011
The electrical activation of As implanted Si has been investigated on rapid thermal annealing timescales using sheet resistance, spreading resistance and Hall Effect techniques. For high dose implants (>1015 As cm-2) differential Hall Effect and spreading resistance profiles confirm the existence of a temperature dependent electrical solubility limit. However for low dose implants, annealing schedules chosen such that the electrical solubility limit is not exceeded reveal electrical deactivation which is not accounted for in the clustering theory. Hall Effect measurements performed as a function of temperature have enabled us to reveal directly electrically inactive As which is not observable at room temperature using standard electrical techniques. The results indicate that As atoms in Si introduce deep trapping levels within the bandgap which are responsible forremoving As from the conduction process at room temperature. This temperature activated process is characterized with an activation energy of 0.4eV.