Subsecond melt processing for achieving SiGe surface layers

High dose germanium (Ge) ion implantation in silicon (Si) substrate in combination with flash lamp irradiation was used to produce a thin SiGe surface layer. Due to the reduced melting temperature of the SiGe alloys, the possibility to form an undesirable facetted liquid/solid interface, well known for pulse melting in the millisecond time regime, was found to decrease significantly using ion beam implantation technique. The formation of a dislocation network in the surface SiGe layer and strain were evidenced by transmission electron microscopy and -Raman spectroscopy measurements, respectively.