Carrier profiling of individual Si nanowires by scanning spreading resistance microscopy

Individual silicon nanowires (NWs) doped either by ion implantation or by in situ dopant incorporation during NW growth were investigated by scanning spreading resistance microscopy (SSRM). The carrier profiles across the axial cross sections of the NWs are derived from the measured spreading resistance values and calibrated by the known carrier concentrations of the connected Si substrate or epi-layer. In the case of the phosphorus ion-implanted and subsequently annealed NWs, the SSRM profiles revealed a radial core-shell distribution of the activated dopants. The carrier concentration close to the surface of a phosphorus-doped NW is found to be by a factor of 6-7 higher than the value in the core and on average only 25% of the implanted phosphorus is electrically active. In contrast, for the in situ boron-doped NW the activation rate of the boron atoms is significantly higher than for phosphorus atoms. Some specific features of SSRM experiments of Si NWs are discussed including the possibility of three-dimensional measurements.