Comparative characterization of boron-implanted silicon after pulse laser annealing along single traces by SEM (SE,EBIC) and TEM studies

(111) oriented n-type silicon wafers which were implanted with 2 × 10¹⁵ B⁺/cm² at 77 K and at an energy of 60 keV are laser annealed (Nd:YAG pulse laser) in air for mean laser powers between P = 1.8 W and P = 4.0 W. The comparative application of scanning electron microscopy (SE, EBIC) and high voltage transmission electron microscopy (HVTEM, 1000 keV) allows an estimation of the annealing quality in separated lines without overlapping. Values specifically ascertained by SEM in the SE contrast mode for the annealing threshold power P _th, the power range for optimal annealing ΔP ₀ and for the geometric width of the monocrystalline resolidification perpendicular to the direction of the specimen movement (and related to the spot diameter) at different laser pulse powers P agree completely with the results found in EBIC. At an optimal laser pulse power of P ₀ = 3.2 W HVTEM enables monocrystalline epitaxially resolidified areas free of defects to be identified in the same geometric width as that ascertained by SE and EBIC.