Atomic-scale imaging of individual dopant atoms and clusters in highly n-type bulk Si
Atomic-scale imaging of individual dopant atoms and clusters in highly n-type bulk Si
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DOI：
10.1038/416826a
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发表时间：
2002-04-25
期刊：
影响因子：
64.8
通讯作者：
Gossmann, HJL
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Voyles, PM;Muller, DA;Gossmann, HJL
随着集成电路中硅基晶体管的体积越来越小，引入杂质掺杂原子所产生的载流子浓度必须稳步增加。然而，目前的技术正在迅速接近极限，即引入额外的掺杂原子不再产生额外的载流子，因为掺杂形成了电非活性簇(1)。利用环形暗场扫描透射电子显微镜，我们报道了对晶体Si中单个锑（Sb）掺杂原子的直接原子分辨率观察，并确定了导致载流子饱和的Sb簇。这些簇的大小、结构和分布是用几乎100%的sb原子检测效率来确定的。虽然以前已经可视化了表面或支撑膜上的单个重原子（2-4），但我们的技术允许对实际设备中存在的单个掺杂剂和团簇进行成像。
As silicon-based transistors in integrated circuits grow smaller, the concentration of charge carriers generated by the introduction of impurity dopant atoms must steadily increase. Current technology, however, is rapidly approaching the limit at which introducing additional dopant atoms ceases to generate additional charge carriers because the dopants form electrically inactive clusters(1). Using annular dark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy, we report the direct, atomic-resolution observation of individual antimony (Sb) dopant atoms in crystalline Si, and identify the Sb clusters responsible for the saturation of charge carriers. The size, structure, and distribution of these clusters are determined with a Sb-atom detection efficiency of almost 100%. Although single heavy atoms on surfaces or supporting films have been visualized previously(2-4), our technique permits the imaging of individual dopants and clusters as they exist within actual devices.