Advances in Si & Ge millisecond processing: From silicon-on-insulator to superconducting Ge

Advanced SOI material can be treated in advantageous manner regarding ultra shallow junction (USJ) formation using millisecond annealing techniques. Especially, strained Si and SiGe/Si heterostructures on insulator (sSOI and sHOI) are promising channel materials for future nanoelectronic devices. Their successful integration into new device architectures depends on the ability of forming ultra shallow and ultra steep junctions. We present results for dopant activation in SOI, sSOI, HOI and sHOI. Flash Lamp Annealing (FLA) allows complete suppression of diffusion while obtaining sheet resistances lower than 500 ¿/¿ in both, SOI and sSOI. Strained and unstrained SiGe heterostructures indicated significant diffusional broadening of Sb implant profiles and low electrical activation. In contrast, B shows higher activation but significant dopant loss in the near surface region. Moreover, we demonstrate that, after diamond and silicon, the third elemental group-IV semiconductor, germanium, exhibits superconductivity at ambient pressure. For the first time, techniques of the state-of-the-art semiconductor processing as ion implantation and FLA were used to fabricate such material, i.e. a highly Ga-doped Ge (Ge:Ga) layer in near-intrinsic Ge. It is shown that superconductivity can be generated and tailored in the Ge host at temperatures as high as 0.5 K. Results of critical-field measurements demonstrate the quasi-two-dimensional character of superconductivity in the 60 nm thick Ge:Ga layer.