Achieving ultralow contact resistivity in Si via Te hyperdoping and millisecond post-metallization annealing

Achieving extremely low specific contact resistance (ρc) has become a critical challenge for nanoelectronics to achieve high device performance with increased miniaturization. In this work, we explore the use of Tellurium hyperdoping and millisecond-range post-metallization flash lamp annealing as a potential solution to overcome this bottleneck. The epitaxially-resolidified hyperdoped Si layers with tunable carrier densities approaching 1021 cm−3 are achieved, which consequently alters the band diagrams as simulated by COMSOL Multiphysics®. This results in a sufficiently narrow Schottky barrier, which enables electron tunneling and can ultimately achieve extremely low ρc on the order of 10−9 Ω·cm2 in an Au/Ti/Te-hyperdoped Si junction. This study introduces an alternative fabrication process for Schottky barrier engineering, providing a viable method for the realization of future miniaturized nanoelectronics devices with high carrier density and extremely low ρc.