Delta doping in silicon

Two-dimensional doping sheets (“δ-doping”) are integral parts of many novel semiconductor device concepts. Their practical realization in silicon (Si), however, was long delayed by the difficulty to introduce dopants into Si in a well-controlled way during epitaxial growth. Recent advances in the understanding of epitaxial growth and the incorporation of dopants in Si have overcome these difficulties and opened a new field in Si materials and device research. In this article, we review the growth, processing, and characterization of epitaxially grown 5-doped Si. Furthermore, we discuss the electronic subband states of such structures. Finally, we give an overview of device concepts that use 5-doping and analyze their properties.