Investigation of germanium implanted with aluminum by multi-laser micro-Raman spectroscopy

Germanium samples, implanted with aluminum and annealed, have been investigated by micro-Raman spectroscopy using different excitation lines with the aim of gaining insights about the Al distribution at different depths beneath the sample surface and to correlate the Raman spectra with the electrical and chemical profiles, obtained by Spreading Resistance Profiling (SRP) and Secondary Ions Mass Spectrometry (SIMS) measurements, respectively. The intensity of the Al–Ge Raman peak at about 370 cm−1, due to the local vibrational mode of the substitutional Al atoms in the Ge matrix, has been directly related to the SRP behavior, while no correlation has been observed with SIMS profiles. These findings show that the electrically active content is entirely due to the substitutional Al atoms. Finally, a clear down shift is observed for the Ge–Ge Raman peak at ~300 cm−1, which also seems to be directly related to the active content of Al dopant atoms. This work shows that micro-Raman spectroscopy can be a suitable tool for the study of doping profiles in Ge.