Hydrogen-implantation induced silicon surface layer exfoliation

Abstract The physical mechanisms of hydrogen-induced silicon surface cleavage were investigated using the combination of cross section transmission electron microscopy (XTEM) and Rutherford back-scattering spectrometry (RBS) channelling analysis. A 〈100〉-oriented silicon wafer was implanted with 175 keV protons to a dose of 5 × 1016 cm−2. The implanted wafer was bonded to a SiO2-capped 〈100〉-oriented silicon wafer and then heated to an elevated temperature of 600°C to produce exfoliation. The damage region of the implanted silicon was examined by XTEM, which revealed the presence of hydrogen-filled platelets. The depth distribution of the implantation damage was also monitored by RBS in the channelling condition in the as-implanted state as well as after the cleavage of the silicon wafer. A comparison of the RBS and XTEM indicates that the nucleation of hydrogen-filled microcavities and the cleavage of the silicon wafer take place above the hydrogen concentration peak near the implantation damage peak, re...