Phase-field model for the dopant redistribution during solid phase epitaxial regrowth of amorphized silicon

Silicon regions amorphized by high dose ion implantation recrystallize under high temperature treatment. Driven by a lower configuration energy of dopant atoms in the amorphized phase than in the crystalline phase, dopant atoms are pushed in the direction of recrystallization during solid phase epitaxial regrowth (SPER). An accurate model for this effect is important for a correct simulation of dopant profiles and surface dose loss in deep sub-micron technology. In this work, a phase-field, which describes the crystallinity of silicon, is introduced for the modeling of SPER. The time evolution of this phase-field during SPER is described by a partial differential equation. The gradient of the crystallinity field acts as a driving force for dopant drift during SPER. The simulation results are in excellent agreement with As and In SIMS data, which monitor the redistribution of dopants during and after SPER.