Femtosecond-laser hyperdoping silicon in an SF₆ atmosphere: Dopant incorporation mechanism

In this paper, we examine the fundamental processes that occur during femtosecond-laser hyperdoping of silicon with a gas-phase dopant precursor. We probe the dopant concentration profile as a function of the number of laser pulses and pressure of the dopant precursor (sulfur hexafluoride). In contrast to previous studies, we show the hyperdoped layer is single crystalline. From the dose dependence on pressure, we conclude that surface adsorbed molecules are the dominant source of the dopant atoms. Using numerical simulation, we estimate the change in flux with increasing number of laser pulses to fit the concentration profiles. We hypothesize that the native oxide plays an important role in setting the surface boundary condition. As a result of the removal of the native oxide by successive laser pulses, dopant incorporation is more efficient during the later stage of laser irradiation.