Characterization of arsenic dose loss at the Si/SiO/sub 2/ interface using high resolution X-ray photoelectron spectrometry

Using high resolution X-ray Photoelectron Spectrometry (XPS) for micro-profiling, we have directly observed the pile-up of arsenic on the silicon side of the oxide-silicon interface. We believe it contains most of the arsenic dose loss that happens during transient enhanced diffusion (TED). This new result is crucial to correctly model the dose loss and suggests a reason for the fact that the arsenic surface concentration remains constant during an anneal and that the dose loss is partially reversible.