X-ray beam induced current/microprobe x-ray fluorescence: synchrotron radiation based x-ray microprobe techniques for analysis of the recombination activity and chemical nature of metal impurities in silicon

In this study we report applications of the synchrotron radiation based x-ray microprobe techniques, x-ray beam induced current (XBIC) and microprobe x-ray fluorescence (μ-XRF), to the analysis of the recombination activity and spatial distribution of transition metals in silicon. A combination of these two techniques enables one to study the elemental nature of defects and impurities and their recombination activity in situ and to map metal clusters with a micron-scale resolution. The correspondence between XBIC data and the data obtained by conventional recombination-sensitive mapping techniques such as electron beam induced current and laser beam induced current is demonstrated. An approach that allows determination of the depth of metal precipitates from several XBIC/μ-XRF images taken for different sample orientations is suggested and is experimentally demonstrated.