The nucleation and evolution of B-interstitial clusters, driven by high interstitial supersaturations during implantation-damage annealing, were investigated. The B-interstitial clusters were created, within a narrow band, by overlapping the Si implantation-damage tail with a lightly-doped B buried layer. The B-interstitial cluster band was found to be a net sink for interstitials at supersaturations greater than 104. The results suggested that Si self-interstitial defects were the primary source of the interstitials that drove transient enhanced diffusion, and that B-interstitial clusters acted as a secondary buffer for the interstitial supersaturation.

Role of Self- and Boron-Interstitial Clusters in Transient Enhanced Diffusion in Silicon G.Mannino, N.E.B.Cowern, F.Roozeboom, J.G.M.Van Berkum: Applied Physics Letters, 2000, 76[7], 855-7