Comparison of ultra-shallow junctions with PLAD and beamline implantation

As device manufacturers consider the use of pulsed plasma doping (PLAD) for production doping, they are becoming concerned about insertion of the PLAD process into their present process flows. In particular, they need to be confident that an annealed dopant profile produced by PLAD matches their conventional one obtained with beamline implantation. This paper presents results of a comparative study with as-implanted and annealed SIMS profiles for p-type doping with a BF₃ plasma or n-type doping with an AsH₃ plasma at wafer biases ranging from -200 V to -5 kV and doses typical of source/drain extensions. Sheet resistance data (R_s) for these wafers in conjunction with the measured junction depths (x_j) will be examined to see if PLAD results in a lower combination of R_s and x_j than equivalent beamline implants. In addition, the characteristics of annealed PLAD SIMS profiles will be interpreted in light of recent device results showing improved device performance with PLAD