The distribution of Sn which had been implanted into Si, Si0.79Ge0.21, and Ge0.53Si0.47 was determined by means of secondary ion mass spectrometry. By comparing the Sn distribution before and after high-temperature annealing, the diffusion coefficient of Sn was obtained as a function of temperature. It was found that the diffusion coefficients exhibited an Arrhenius behavior in all 3 materials; with activation energies for diffusion of 4.91, 4.61, and 3.88eV, respectively. At a given temperature, the diffusion coefficient of Sn increased almost exponentially with increasing Ge content. Although the diffusion coefficient for Sn in Si and Ge was higher than the corresponding value for self-diffusion, the activation energies were similar to those for Si and Ge self-diffusion. It was suggested that the diffusion mechanism for Sn was similar to that for self-diffusion in Si and Ge, and in SiGe alloys.

P.Kringhøj, R.G.Elliman: Applied Physics Letters, 1994, 65[3], 324-6