Formation of multiply faulted defects in oxygen implanted silicon-on-insulator material

A multiply faulted defect (MFD), has been observed at a density of 10 ⁸ cm^-2 in oxygen implanted silicon-on-insulator material at implantation temperatures of ≥600 °C over a dose range from 0.3 to 1.8×10¹⁸ cm^-2. The MFDs are 40-140 nm long and are created at the upper edge of the high-dose implantation region. They consist of combinations of several discontinuous stacking faults within 2-8 atomic layers which generate an irregularity along the defect. The atomic arrangement of the MFDs indicates that they form by shearing of the lattice due to the volume change associated with oxide precipitation. The defects have a randomly faulted arrangement from cross slip and from the presence of several inhomogeneous nucleation sites along the edge of the same defect.