Organo-arsenic Molecular Layers on Silicon for High-Density Doping

This article describes for the first time the controlled monolayer doping (MLD) of bulk and nanostructured crystalline silicon with As at concentrations approaching 2 × 1020 atoms cm–3. Characterization of doped structures after the MLD process confirmed that they remained defect- and damage-free, with no indication of increased roughness or a change in morphology. Electrical characterization of the doped substrates and nanowire test structures allowed determination of resistivity, sheet resistance, and active doping levels. Extremely high As-doped Si substrates and nanowire devices could be obtained and controlled using specific capping and annealing steps. Significantly, the As-doped nanowires exhibited resistances several orders of magnitude lower than the predoped materials.