The damage and defects created in Si by H plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) were not the same as those generated by conventional beamline ion implantation due to the difference in the ion energy distribution and lack of mass selection in plasma immersion ion implantation. Defect generation must be well controlled because damage in the implanted and surface zones could easily translate into defects in the Si-on-insulator structures synthesized by the plasma immersion ion implantation/wafer bonding/ion-cut process. The defect formation and its change with annealing temperature were investigated experimentally employing channeling Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, secondary ion mass spectrometry, and atomic-force microscopy. The damage energy density of the 3 dominant H species in the plasma (H+, H2+, and H3+) was also calculated as well as the displacement of Si atoms in the Si wafer. H2+ creates the most damage because its damage energy density was very close to the Si threshold

energy. The effects of atmospheric gaseous impurities unavoidably co-implanted from the overlying plasma were also modeled. Even though their concentration was usually small in the plasma, the results indicated that these gaseous impurities led to significant Si atom displacement and severe damage in the implanted materials.

Damage in Hydrogen Plasma Implanted Silicon. L.Wang, R.K.Y.Fu, X.Zeng, P.K.Chu, W.Y.Cheung, S.P.Wong: Journal of Applied Physics, 2001, 90[4], 1735-9