Front and back surface cw CO2-laser annealing of arsenic ion-implanted silicon

The annealing behavior of arsenic-implanted silicon under scanned cw CO₂-laser irradiation from front and back surfaces is investigated. Ellipsometry, Hall effect, Rutherford backscattering measurements and neutron activation analysis indicate an enhancement of annealing efficiency by laser irradiation from the back surface, which provides complete recovery of crystal damage, high substitutionality and electrical activation of implanted arsenic atoms without redistribution of concentration profile. The enhancement of annealing efficiency under back-surface irradiation is explained by the difference in laser reflection from the front and back surface of silicon wafers. No differences in the results are found for scanned and static annealing.