Antimony doping of Si layers grown by solid-phase epitaxy

We report here that layers of Si formed by solid-phase epitaxial growth (SPEG) can be doped intentionally. The sample consists initially of an upper layer of amorphous Si (∼1 μm thick), a very thin intermediate layer of Sb (nominally 5 Å), and a thin lower layer of Pd (∼500 Å), all electron-gun deposited on top of a single-crystal substrate (1–10 Ω cm, p type, 〈100〉 orientation). After a heating cycle which induces epitaxial growth, electrically active Sb atoms are incorporated into the SPEG layer, as shown by the following facts: (a) the SPEG layer forms a p-n junction against the p-type substrate, (b) the Hall effect indicates strong n-type conduction of the layer, and (c) Auger electron spectra reveal the presence of Sb in the layer.