An Optical Diffraction Method for Controlling the Solid-Phase Recrystallization and Heating of Implanted Semiconductors during Pulse Light Annealing

Abstrac

t—The results of the improvement of the method of laser diagnostics for investigating the heating dynamics, solid-state recrystallization, and melting of implanted semiconductors directly during a pulse light annealing procedure are presented. This technique is based on recording Fraunhofer diffraction patterns from special periodic structures; it allows investigations of structural–phase transitions in ion-doped semiconductor layers simultaneously with sample temperature measurements with a high time resolution. For this purpose, two measuring diffraction gratings were preliminarily formed on the surface of a silicon wafer: a phase grating and an amplitude grating. The solid-phase recrystallization and melting processes were studied via the kinetics of the disappearance and appearance of the diffraction maxima from the amplitude grating. The sample temperature was monitored by the deflection of the diffraction angle of the probe laser beam from the phase diffraction grating. This deflection is caused by a change in the grating period due to its thermal expansion.