Defect generation during P diffusion at concentration levels below the solid solubility was investigated using ion-implanted samples. Diffusion anneals were carried out in low-O ambients or in N with a Si3N4 cap. Buried layer markers of As and Sb were used to study point defect generation due to the diffusion. The defects were revealed using a Schimmel etch. The results showed that stacking faults were formed below the P-diffused region in a low-O ambient at temperatures ranging from 1050 to 1150C. Enhancement of As diffusion and retardation of Sb diffusion were observed at long diffusion times. Diffusion in N with a Si3N4 cap caused few stacking faults and neither enhancement of As diffusion nor retardation of Sb diffusion for the same temperatures and times. At P concentrations above the solid solubility diffusion in N, with a Si3N4 film cap caused an enhancement of As diffusion. Stacking faults were also observed.

J.C.C.Tsai, D.G.Schimmel, R.E.Ahrens, R.B.Fair: Journal of the Electrochemical Society, 1987, 134[9], 2348-56