Photoluminescence studies of ultrahigh-purity epitaxial silicon

Photoluminescence has been used to identify bulk and interfacial contaminants in ultrahigh-purity epitaxially grown silicon. When combined with depth profiling using spreading resistance analysis, it provides a powerful characterization technique which may be used for determining optimal layer growth parameters. Identification of impurities has been demonstrated at concentrations which are orders of magnitude below the sensitivity limit of other methods suitable for epitaxial layer characterization.