
We investigated various p+ extension implantation dopant species (B, BF2, B10H14 & B18H 22) and annealing techniques (spike, flash, laser and SPE) to achieve high dopant activation low damage ultra-shallow junctions (USJ) 15-20 nm deep for 45 nm node applications. New USJ metrology techniques were investigated to determine: 1) surface dopant activation level and 2) junction quality (residual implant damage) using contact and non-contact full wafer metrology methods. We discovered that using molecular dopant species (B10H14 & B18 H22) either high temperature (flash or laser) annealing or low temperature SPE annealing are very promising for the 45 nm node process integration with SiON or high-k Hf-based dielectric gate stack structures because of their wide temperature range for dopant activation without diffusion