Dislocation Engineering Using a Scanned Laser

Abstract

A method for generating patterned strained regions in a semiconductor device is provided. The method includes directing a light-emitting beam locally onto a surface portion of a semiconductor body; and manipulating a plurality of dislocations located proximate to the surface portion of the semiconductor body utilizing the light-emitting beam, the light-emitting beam being characterized as having a scan speed, so as to produce the patterned strained regions.

1 . A system for manipulating dislocations on semiconductor devices, comprising:
 a moveable laser configured to generate a laser beam locally on a surface portion of the semiconductor body having a plurality of dislocations, the moveable laser being characterized as having a scan speed, the moveable laser manipulates the plurality of dislocations on the surface portion of the semiconductor body by adjusting the temperature and the scan speed of the laser beam.   
     
     
         2 . The system as in  claim 1 , wherein the moveable laser is operative to manipulate the plurality of dislocations by directly heating the plurality of dislocations with the laser beam such that the plurality of dislocations is driven away from the surface portion of the semiconductor body enabling the elimination of the plurality of dislocations on the semiconductor body. 
     
     
         3 . The system as in  claim 1 , wherein the moveable laser is operative to manipulate the plurality of dislocations by scanning across the plurality of dislocations with the laser beam such that the plurality of dislocations grow over the length of the scan of the laser beam enabling the removal of threading dislocations from a relaxed layer on the semiconductor device. 
     
     
         4 . The system as in  claim 3 , wherein the system is operative to affect plurality of dislocations that grow over the length of the scan of the laser beam when the scan speed of the laser beam is approximately greater than 1250 degrees Centigrade and the scan speed of the laser beam is greater than approximately 1 millisecond.