Doping and characterization of boron atoms in nanocrystalline silicon particles

Boron (B) doping into nanocrystalline-silicon (nc-Si) particles was achieved by cosputtering of Si chips/B chips/silica disk targets and subsequent annealing at 1100 degrees C. The average diameter of B-doped particles was less than 4.3 nm, and the content of B was about 14.3 at. %. The observation of EELS spectrum of B-K edge and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy spectra of B 1s, and that of B local vibrational peaks and the Fano effect by micro-Raman scattering measurements clearly demonstrate that B atoms were doped and electrically activated in the particles, indicating the formation of electrically active p-type nc-Si particles.