Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 February 2011
Thin amorphous layers in crystalline Si and GaAs substates have been irradiated at selected temperatures with 1.5 MeV Ne+ ions to induce either epitaxial crystallization or amorphization. In Si, such irradiation can induce complete epitaxial crystallization of a 1000 A surface amorphous layer for temperatures typically >200°C whereas, at significantly lower temperatures, layer-by-layer amorphization results. Although epitaxial crystallization can also be stimulated in GaAs by ion irradiation at temperatures >65°C, the process is non-linear with ion dose and results in poor quality crystal growth for amorphous layers greater than a few hundred Angstroms in thickness. Layer-by-layer amorphization has not been observed in GaAs.