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Explosive crystallization (EC) is often observed when using nanosecond-pulsed melt laser annealing (MLA) in amorphous silicon (Si) and germanium (Ge). The solidification velocity in EC is so fast that a diffusion-less crystallization can be expected. In the contacts of advanced transistors, the active level at the metal/semiconductor Schottky interface must be very high to achieve a sub-10?9ohm·cm2contact resistivity, which has been already demonstrated by using the dopant surface segregation induced by MLA. However, the beneficial layer of a few nanometers at the surface may be easily consumed during subsequent contact cleaning and metallization. EC helps to address such kind of process integration issues, enabling the optimal positioning of the peak of the dopant chemical profile. However, there is a lack of experimental studies of EC in heavily-doped semiconductor materials. Furthermore, to the best of our knowledge, dopant activation by EC has never been experimentally reported. In this paper, we present dopant redistribution and activation by an EC process induced by UV nanosecond-pulsed MLA in heavily gallium (Ga) ion-implanted high Ge content SiGe. Based on the obtained results, we also highlight potential issues of integrating EC into real device fabrication processes and discuss how to manage them.

This paper introduces a new approach, based on room temperature (RT) scanning photoluminescence (SPL) measurements, for non-destructive quantitative mapping of the surface or interface recombination velocity in compound semiconductor structures. The developed technique is validated and applied here to spatially resolved evaluation of the surface recombination velocity of InP substrates and InGaAs(C)/InP heterostructures.

We have successfully grown GaAsN and InGaAsN layers on GaAs substrate using atmospheric-pressure metalorganic vapor-phase epitaxy (MOVPE). Dimethylhydrazine and tertiarybutylarsine have been employed as sources of nitrogen and arsenic, respectively. To investigate the incorporation behavior of nitrogen [N] in GaAsN and InGaAsN layers as a function of ambient gas in the reactor, growth was performed in the presence of hydrogen H2and nitrogen N2gases. Good structural quality and surface morphology have been obtained with both gases. Furthermore, with N2ambient gas, an enhancement of nitrogen incorporation has been observed. The nonradiative carrier lifetime is about 25 ns and is independent of the ambient gas used. This value is acceptable for laser applications.

We describe the fabrication and modulation characteristics of short cavity InP/InGaAsP buried ridge stripe (BRS) lasers with ion beam etched facets. A CW threshold current as low as 9 mA is achieved for 50 µm-long cavity laser. A relaxation oscillation frequency in excess of 17 GHz is observed in such laser for an output optical power of only 9 mW/facet. The small signal -3 dB modulation frequency of such device is 11.5 GHz and is limited by the parasitic impedances of the BRS structure.