Enhancement of Silicon Epitaxy by Increased Phosphorus Concentration in a Low-Energy Ion Bombardment Process

For a low-energy (<30 eV) ion bombardment process, the effect of phosphorus concentration on low-temperature (350–400°C) silicon epitaxial growth is reported. The conditions of ion energy and ion flux required for realizing low-temperature epitaxial growth were precisely investigated. We found that phosphorus doping significantly enhanced silicon epitaxial growth. It is difficult to realize high-quality film growth with lightly phosphorus-doped silicon. However, large-mass, large-radius ion (xenon) bombardment is quite effective for improving the quality of silicon film with lightly phosphorus-doped silicon.