Synchrotron-radiation based X-ray microprobe techniques (X-ray beam-induced current, X-ray fluorescence) were applied to the analysis of the recombination activity and space distribution of Cu and Fe in the vicinity of dislocations in Si/SiGe structures. A combination of these 2 techniques permitted the study of the chemical nature of the defects and impurities and their recombination activity in situ and to map metal clusters with a micron-scale resolution. X-ray fluorescence analysis revealed that Cu formed clearly distinguishable precipitates along the misfit dislocations. A proportional dependence between the X-ray beam-induced current contrast and the number of Cu atoms in the precipitates was established. In H-passivated Fe-contaminated samples, clusters of Fe precipitates were observed which had no recombination activity detectable by the X-ray beam-induced current technique, as well as Fe clusters which were not completely passivated.

Application of Synchrotron-Radiation-Based X-ray Microprobe Techniques for the Analysis of Recombination Activity of Metals Precipitated at Si/SiGe Misfit Dislocations. O.F.Vyvenko, T.Buonassisi, A.A.Istratov, E.R.Weber, M.Kittler, W.Seifert: Journal of Physics - Condensed Matter, 2002, 14[48], 13079-86