Effects of deuterium plasma treatments on the electrical properties of boron-doped silicon

The effect of reactive ion etching and plasma etching on the electrical properties of boron-doped silicon has been studied, employing junction capacitance measurements on Schottky diodes. Deep-level transient spectroscopy measurements on the treated samples reveal the presence of a number of previously unreported near-surface traps. The depth profiles of the observed traps have been determined, and their annealing behaviour is studied up to 200°C. A tentative association of these traps with strain-induced defects resulting from deuterium platelet formation or with vacancy-related defect complexes is proposed. © 1989.