Published online by Cambridge University Press: 26 February 2011
The atmospheric effects of oxygen and water vapor on the epitaxial regrowth behavior of ion-implanted CaTiO3 have been studied. Cross-sectional transmission electry microsgopy (TEM) samples prepared from crystals implanted with 1(1015) Pb/cm2 at 540 KeV, were annealed at 450–650°C for 40 – 80 minutes, in environments containing different percentages of oxygen and water vapor. Regrowth was studied for implantation directions along both the <010> and <100> crystallographic directions of this orthorhombic Perovskite structure, space group Pcmn. TEM on unannealed crystals indicated the presence of an amorphous region extending approximately 190 nm in from the edge of the sample as a result of ion-implantation. Annealing produced an epitaxial regrowth of the amorphous region. The regrowth process began at the original amorphous/crystalline interface and proceeded outward to the surface of the sample. It was found that the epitaxial regrowth rate increased as the amount of water vapor in the annealing atmosphere was increased. In addition, it was observed that the amount of oxygen present during annealing did not alter the rate of recrystallization in this system.