Supersaturated solid solutions after solid phase epitaxial growth in Bi-implanted silicon

The lattice location of Bi-implanted (100) Si after thermal treatment at 550 °C has been studed by a channeling effect technique. Supersaturated substitutional solid solutions are formed with a Bi concentration in excess of 500 times the maximum solid solubility. After growth good crystallinity is observed in the single-crystal Si host. Post-treatments at higher temperature up to 925 °C produce incipient precipitation of the Bi atoms. Both formation and stability of these solid solutions are accounted for by diffusion process. The proposed model has been tested using a high-diffusivity impurity Cu-implanted Si, which inhibits the regrowth of the Si hosts.