Diffusion of gold in silicon studied by means of neutron-activation analysis and spreading-resistance measurements

In- and out-diffusion of gold in silicon were investigated with the aid of a neutronactivation analysis in combination with mechanical sectioning or by the spreadingresistance technique. In-diffusion profiles in the range 1371–1073 K show that Au diffuses in Si mainly via the so-called kick-out mechanism. From the Au diffusion and solubility measurements the interstitialcy contributionD_I^SD to the Si self-diffusion coefficient was determined, which shows that the self-diffusion occurs to a considerable extent via selfinterstitials. Out-diffusion profiles at 1173 K were measured on wafers homogeneously supersaturated with Au. The observed decrease of the electrical activity of Au in the bulk indicates that during the out-diffusion anneal the majority of Au atoms originally dissolved substitutionally changes its configuration.