Characterizing crystal lattice damage in high energy implants using interference contrast microscopy

The technique employs infrared interference contrast to non-destructively quantify the strain in the crystal lattice in patterned wafers after implantation. Scan images are made parallel to the wafer surface; the plane of scanning can be placed at any depth within the wafer. In this study, the near-surface damage resultant from four different doses of phosphorus at 300 keV show that the infrared interference contrast signal quantifies this process-induced damage immediately after implant and prior to an anneal for different doses. The data shows the response of the measure of damage, “OPP” below 0.5 V Vmax(V), varied linearly as a function of dose. Earlier work with lower energy implants had shown that the damage, as reported by the OPP, was reduced after sufficient RTA