Characterization of Hydrogen in Epitaxial Silicon Films Grown at Very Low Temperatures

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Abstract
Experimental and theoretical analyses of hydrogen atoms incorporated in epitaxial silicon films grown at very low temperatures were investigated using a high resolution X-ray diffractometer (HRXRD) and an ab-initio total energy calculation. We found that the lattice constant of the epitaxial films was expanded by the H atoms and this lattice expansion occurred only in a direction normal to the surface. We proposed the Si–H–Si configuration as a model to explain the lattice expansion phenomenon. The results of the calculation supported this model and also suggested that the microscopic stress was introduced by the H atom in the configuration. In B-doped epitaxial Si films, the B atoms were 100% neutralized by the H atoms and activated by thermal annealing. We increased the growth temperature to overcome these H related problems and succeeded in controlling the H incorporation. The B-doped Si film with a hole concentration of 1.7×1019 cm-3 was obtained at a growth temperature of 240°C.