N⁺ doping of gallium arsenide by rapid thermal oxidation of a silicon cap

Shallow (<200 nm) Si profiles with doping levels in excess of 2×1018 cm-3 were reproducively obtained in GaAs by rapid thermal oxidation (RTO) of Si caps (50 or 160 nm) in 0.1% O2/Ar ambient at 850-1050 °C. The doping level as well as distribution of the diffused Si can be controlled by the thickness of the Si cap, RTO temperature, RTO time, and oxygen level in the annealing ambient. It appears that the generation of Si interstitials at the oxidizing surface of the Si cap during RTO is responsible for the Si diffusion into the underlying GaAs substrate.