Annealing effect on the optical properties of implanted silicon in a silicon nitride matrix

Optical properties of implanted Si in a silicon nitride (Si(3)N(4)) thin film have been determined with spectroscopic ellipsometry based on the Tauc-Lorentz (TL) model and the Bruggeman effective medium approximation. It is shown that the suppressed dielectric functions of the implanted Si are dominated by the energy transitions related to the critical point E(2). The effect of thermal annealing on the dielectric functions of the implanted Si has been investigated. The analysis of the dielectric functions based on the evolution of the TL parameters can provide an insight into the structural changes in the implanted Si embedded in the Si(3)N(4) matrix caused by the annealing. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics.