Dislocations in Silicon due to Localized Diffusion

Dislocations generated by localized diffusions in silicon are investigated through x-ray diffraction microscopy. It is shown that dislocations are produced at the interface of diffused and undiffused silicon as a consequence of elastic strains resulting most likely from steep lattice-constant gradients. From the device point of view these dislocations are undesirable because their axes lie outside the diffusion plane; consequently they can cause device failure.