Comparative study of defect evolution in carbon implanted strained SiGe and SiSn layers

By combining secondary ion-mass spectrometry, transmission-electron microscopy (TEM) and Rutherford-backscattering spectrometry we show that the redistribution of implanted carbon atoms around epitaxially strained Si/SiGe layers results in their accumulation on the Si side and depletion on the SiGe side. On the contrary, uphill diffusion of carbon into SiSn layers takes place in the case of Si/SiSn structures. The TEM study demonstrates formation of dislocation loops, stacking faults and interstitial clusters in the Si/SiGe layers, but elimination of interstitial dislocation loops and suppression of tin precipitates in the Si/SiSn layers. We deduced different evolution of dislocation loops and a precipitate is due to dopant-defect complexes. The complex formation is enhanced by separation of implanted point defects in strain-fields of Si/SiSn and Si/SiGe layers.