Atomic hydrogen catalysis for the formation of oxygen related nanoclusters in silicon: applications to low-temperature device production

The oxygen aggregates in Czochralski (Cz) grown silicon are considered as nanoparticles which provide the formation of well known shallow donors (thermal donors). It is shown that the formation of such nanoparticles in local regions saturated by atomic hydrogen can be enhanced by a catalytic mechanism. This method provides a promising technological way for a low-temperature n-type doping due to the electrical activation of such oxygen related nanoclusters and therefore for the formation of electronic device structures in silicon. The influence of the hydrogenation temperature on the efficiency of the atomic hydrogen catalysis of the oxygen-related nanocluster doping processes is studied. It was found that the depth, at which such n-type doping can be performed, depends on the hydrogenation temperature and thermal prehistory of the Cz Si samples. Diode and transistor structures were performed by this doping method. Possible applications of the proposed low-temperature technology are discussed