Ion implantation of pure aluminium with thallium induces formation of nanosized crystalline thallium inclusions with either fee or bee structure. The size of the inclusions depends on the implantation conditions and subsequent annealing treatments. Inclusions less than 10-15 nm in size are generally fee while larger inclusions are bee. The fee inclusions are aligned topotactically with the aluminium matrix with a cube/cube orientation relationship, and they have a truncated octahedral shape bounded by {111} and {001} planes. The lattice parameter of the fee thallium inclusions is 0.484 nm ± 0.002 nm, which is slightly but significantly larger than for the high pressure fee thallium phase known to be stable above 3.8 GPa. The lattice parameter of the bec inclusions is close to the equilibrium value of 0.387 nm and the orientation relationship is given by the Kurdjumov-Sachs rule (011)bcc ║ (111)fcc and [111]bcc ║ [101]fcc The bec inclusions,, representing the high temperature equilibrium phase but existing in metastable equilibrium at lower temperatures, have curved and less well-defined facets. Inclusions with hep structure, the stable phase at room temperature, have not been observed.

We present results of molecular dynamics computer simulation studies of the threshold energy for point defect production in silicon. We employ computational cells with 8000 atoms at ambient temperature of 10 K that interact via the Stillinger-Weber potential. Our simulations address the orientation dependence of the defect production threshold as well as the structure and stability of the resulting vacancy-interstitial pairs. Near the <111> directions, a vacancy-tetrahedral-interstitial pair is produced for 25 eV recoils. However, at 30 eV recoil energy, the resulting interstitial is found to be the <110> split dumbbell configuration. This Frenkel pair configuration is lower in energy than the former by 1.2 eV. Moreover, upon warming of the sample from 10 K the tetrahedral interstitial converts to a <110> split before finally recombining with the vacancy. Along <100> directions, a vacancy-<110> split interstitial configuration is found at the threshold energy of 22 eV. Near <110> directions, a wide variety of closed replacement chains are found to occur for recoil energies up to 45 eV. At 45 eV, the low energy vacancy-<110> split configuration is found. At 300 K, the results are similar. We provide details on the atomic structure and relaxations near these defects as well as on their mobilities.

This study examines the influence of microstructural defects on irradiation damage accumulation in the oxide spinel. Single crystals of the compound MgAl2O4 with surface normal [111] were irradiated under cryogenic temperature (100°K) either with 50 keV Ne ions (fluence 5.0 × 1012/cm2), 400 keV Ne ions (fluence 6.7 × 1013cm2) or successively with 400 keV Ne ions followed by 50 keV Ne ions. The projected range of 50 keV Ne ions in spinel is ~50 nm (“shallow”) while the projected range of 400 keV Ne ions is ~ 500 nm (“deep”). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to examine dislocation loops/ defect clusters formed by the implantation process. Measurements of the dislocation loop size were made using weak-beam imaging technique on cross-sectional TEM ion-implanted specimens. Defect clusters were observed in both deep and shallow implanted specimens, while dislocation loops were observed in the shallow implanted sample that was previously irradiated by 400 keV Ne ions. Cluster size was seen to increase for shallow implants in crystals irradiated with a deep implant (size ~8.5 nm) as compared to crystals treated only to a shallow implant (size ~3.1 nm).

We implanted <100> silicon 200mm wafers with 20keV 11B+ to a fluence of 5×1015 atoms/ cm2 using beam currents from 1-7mA, which produced flux of about 50-350µA/cm2. The implant temperature of all wafers rose no more than five degrees above room temperature, regardless of flux. Cross sectional TEM images (as-implanted) of the highest flux samples revealed a continuous amorphous layer from the implanted surface to a depth of about 530Å. The high flux and <30°C implantation temperature allowed amorphous layer formation even with this moderate boron fluence, as was suggested by Jones, et.al.1. We observed a strong dependence of as-implanted damage on boron flux, as previously reported by Eisen and Welch2. After 900°C, 20 sec RTA, the highest flux samples had 50% lower sheet resistance than the lowest flux samples, due to better activation, as observed in SRP. When a 1050°C, 15 sec RTA was employed, this sheet resistance and activation dependence on flux disappeared. Cross sectional TEM images revealed that the size and number of the Type II end of range defects , which were centered near the amorphous and crystalline as-implanted interface, in the highest flux samples were smaller than the Type 1 dislocation loops centered about the peak disorder in the lowest flux samples after RTA. SIMS and SRP profiles indicated that transient enhanced diffusion during the 900°C, 20 sec RTA may have been reduced in the highest flux samples. Based on these observations and on previous reports, we conclude that sufficiently high flux during room temperature boron implantation will produce a continuous amorphous layer with doses that are appropriate for p-type source/drain formation. The amorphous layer will produce improved activation and damage annealing behavior in subsequent RTA, particularly as the RTA temperature is reduced.

Annealing of divacancies in crystalline Si has been characterized by differential scanning and isothermal calorimetry and infrared absorption spectroscopy. Si discs of 0.1 mm thickness have been implanted with 3.4 MeV protons. Scanning calorimetry shows a relatively sharp peak centered around 425 K and a broader feature ranging from 450 to 620 K. The isothermal heat release at 620 K exhibits a single exponential rather than a bimolecular decay. As the annealing progresses, a decrease in infrared absorption at 1.8 µm is observed which is directly related to the annealing of divacancies.

By means of transmission electron microscopy we have studied the redissolution of extended end-of-range defects during high temperature rapid thermal annealing. We find, that after the transformation of initially present {113} stacking faults into energetically more favorable structures, each type of end-of-range defect establishes its individual redissolution rate with {111} faulted loops being the most stable configuration.

The diffusion and solubility of Au and Pb in α-Zr are measured in the temperature ranges of 773-973 K and 773-1023 K, respectively, using the Rutherford backscattering technique. Au and Pb have been implanted in samples of Zr having different amounts of Fe as impurity. The results indicate that both solutes follow a substitutional extrinsic diffusion process enhanced by the fast diffusing Fe impurity, and that the solid solubility of Au and Pb in Zr is of ≈lat% in the measured range of temperature.

The redistribution of the dopants Ru and Os implanted into GaAs and InP as well as the structural properties of the hosts are investigated in dependence of the annealing procedure. Results of Rutherford backscattering and secondary-ion-mass-spectroscopy experiments are presented. The RBS results of Os in GaAs annealed at 850°C indicate that an amount of about 1018 cm-3 Os is on substitutional sites. Two different diffusion processes are observed: an uphill diffusion in the amorphized region and a Fick-type diffusion in the tail of the depth profiles. The diffusion coefficients for Ru in GaAs at 850°C and Os in InP at 750°C are estimated to 4*10-14 cm2s-1 and 8*10-15 cm2s-1, respectively.

Ion implantation technique is being investigated as an alternate technique for doping GaSb. Hence an understanding of the production and removal of the damage is essential. In this paper, we report on the damages produced by implantation of Te, Er, Hg and Pb ions into undoped (100) GaSb single crystals and their recovery by Rutherford backscattering (RBS)/channeling. The implantations of 1013 to 1013 ions/cm2 in GaSb were done at liquid nitrogen temperature at energies corresponding to the same projected range of 447Å. A comparison of the damage produced by the different ions and their recovery was made by RBS/channeling along <100> axis of GaSb. Near surface damage equivalent to that of an amorphous layer was observed even at lower doses. Upon annealing at 600°C for 30 sec., the Te implanted samples showed best recovery compared to others (Xmin = 11%), the value of Xmin being better than those normally observed in unimplanted Te-doped substrates.

The recovery of the implant-induced damage and the defects present after thermal annealing at 650 °C in Fe-implanted InP have been investigated by TEM, RBS and X-ray diffractometry as a function of the annealing time that was varied betweeen 0.5 and 2 h. The near-surface damaged layer was removed only for annealing times ≥ 1.5 h. The annealed samples contained stacking fault tetrahedra of vacancy type, extrinsic dislocation loops and microdefects. These extended defects were mostly localized in a band corresponding to the region of transition between amorphous top layer and crystalline substrate as was detected in the as-implanted sample. Stacking fault tetrahedra and loops have also been observed before and beyond this band, respectively. Such defects could be due to either shear strains at the recrystallization front or implant-induced point defects.

Ion implant annealing is a complicated process involving the interactions of point defects generated during the implantation, implanted or previously present dopants, and extended defects which form as a result of the implant damage. To effectively model the process, it is essential to determine the critical processes, assess the validity of assumptions and calculate appropriate parameter values. In addition, implant annealing is just one element in the VLSI fabrication process, and the model development must consider the process as part of the broad range of experimental observations, as it is only through consistent physical models that simulators can predict the multiple interactions and two and three-dimensional effects present in VLSI structures. This work focuses on enhanced diffusion following silicon implants below the amorphization threshold as a function of dose, energy and time.

Thermally-induced solid-phase epitaxial crystallisation (SPEC) and ion-beam-induced epitaxial crystallisation (IBIEC) of amorphous GexSi1-x alloy layers is examined for three different starting structures: a) strain-relaxed alloy layers of uniform composition, b) strained alloy layers of uniform composition, and c) Ge implanted Si layers. Thermal annealing experiments show that the activation energy for strain-relaxed alloys is higher than that expected from a simple extrapolation between the activation energies of Si and Ge, and exceeds that of Si for x ≤ 0.3. Experiments on thin strained layers show that MBE grown strained layers which are stable during annealing at 1100°C for 60 s are also fully strained after SPEC, whereas layers which relax during annealing at 1100°C also relax during SPEC. Experiments on ion-implanted GeχSiι_x structures show that fully strained Si/GexSi1-x /Si heterostructures can be fabricated for ion fluences below a critical fluence, and as for uniform alloy layers that this critical fluence is accurately predicted by equilibrium theory. Strain relaxation during SPEC of uniform alloys and implanted structures is shown to be correlated with a sudden reduction in crystallisation velocity which is believed to be caused by stress-induced roughening or faceting of the crystalline/amorphous interface. IBIEC of thick (800 nm) implanted layers is shown to be limited by competition from ion-beam induced random crystallisation, while thin (120 nm) uniform alloys and implanted structures are shown to crystallise ephaxially and to exhibit similar behaviour to thermally annealed samples under certain conditions.

An anomalous effect of electron irradiation on thermal grain growth in Ni has been observed using in situ TEM. Grain growth during thermal annealing was suppressed in areas irradiated with electrons. Grain growth suppression required a minimum electron energy between 100 and 200 keV. This alteration of thermal grain growth is attributed to electron beam injection of a surface contaminant such as carbon. This work points out that care must be exercised in the execution and evaluation of in situ TEM or ion beam experiments that deal with microstructural changes which are highly compositionally sensitive.

We present an investigation on the amorphization process of crystalline silicon induced by ion beam bombardment by simulating the insertion of self-interstitials at different temperatures. The simulation is carried out by tight-binding molecular dynamics which allows for a detailed characterization of the chemical bonding and electronic properties of the irradiated samples. The irradiation process consists of two steps: (i) insertion of defects at a constant rate; (ii) annealing of the sample and observation of its structural properties. Thanks to the large size of the simulation cell (up to 276 atoms) we can characterize the amorphous network both on the short-range and medium-range length scale. Electronic properties are investigated as well and their evolution is monitored during the insertion process. Finally, we present a thorough comparison of the structural properties of the irradiated sample with amorphous silicon as obtained by rapid quench from the melt.

For the first time, ion beam induced epitaxial crystallization (IBIEC) has been found in SiC. The effect of 300 keV Si+ irradiation through an amorphous surface layer in single crystalline 6H-SiC at 477±5°C has been investigated by RBS/C and XTEM. A shrinkage of the amorphous layer was found after ion irradiation at this temperature which is caused by both an ion dose independent thermal regrowth of about 20 nm and an additional ion beam induced epitaxial crystallization with a rate of about 1.5 nm/ 1016 cm-2.

Isothermal annealing of amorphous TiO2 films deposited from acidic sol-gel precursor solutions results in film densification and concomitant increase in refractive index. Subsequent heating above 300°C leads to irreversible transformation to an anatase crystalline phase. Similar phenomena occur when such amorphous films are subjected to focused cw laser irradiation. Controlled variations in laser fluence are used to density or crystallize selected regions of the film. Low fluence conditioning leads to the evolution of a subtle nanograin-size morphology, evident in AFM images, which appears to retard subsequent film crystallization when such regions are subjected to higher laser fluence. Time-resolved Raman spectroscopy has been used to characterize irradiated regions in order to follow the crystallization kinetics, assess phase homogeneity, and evaluate accompanying changes in residual film stress.

At cryogenic temperatures, the accumulation of vacancy-interstitial pairs in Al2O3 from atomic displacements associated with ion implantation produces amorphization. At room temperature, these pairs recombine, and amorphization occurs only at high doses. X-ray reflectivity measurements show that amorphization of the surface of Al2O3 implanted at room temperature with 160 keV Cr+ ions is preceded by a progressive reduction in near-surface density. Monte Carlo simulations show that this density reduction can be accounted for by high-energy-transfer collisions which knock atoms deep into the target, leaving widely separated vacancies and interstitials, which do not recombine. Electron microscopy shows that at least some of these vacancies condense into voids. We propose that this reduction in near-surface density can lead to amorphization at high doses. We present simple approximations for the density reduction expected for different ions and targets.

The temperature dependence of the critical amorphization dose, Dc of four A2BO4 compositions, forsterite (Mg2SiO4), fayalite (Fe2SiO4), synthetic Mg2GeO4, and phenakite (Be2SiO4) was investigated by in situ TEM during 1.5 MeV Kr+ ion beam irradiation at temperatures between 15 to 700 K. For the Mg- and Fe-compositions, the A-site is in octahedral coordination, and the structure is a derivative hcp (Pbnm); for the Be-composition, the A- and B-sites are in tetrahedral coordination, forming corner-sharing hexagonal rings (R3). Although the Dc's were quite close at 15 K for all the four compositions (0.2–0.5 dpa), Dc increased with increasing irradiation temperature at different rates. The Dc-temperature curve is the result of competition between amorphization and dynamic recovery processes. The Dc rate of increase (highest to lowest) is: Be2SiO4, Mg2SiO4, Mg2GeO4, Fe2SiO4. At room temperature, Be2SiO4 amorphized at 1.55 dpa; Fe2SiO4, at only 0.22 dpa. Based on the Dc-temperature curves, the activation energy, Ea, of the dynamic recovery process and the critical temperature, Tc, above which complete amorphization does not occur are: 0.029, 0.047, 0.055 and 0.079 eV and 390, 550, 650 and 995 K for Be2SiO4, Mg2SiO4, Mg2GeO4 and Fe2SiO4, respectively. These results are explained in terms of the materials properties (e.g., bonding and thermodynamic stability) and cascade size which is a function of the density of the phases. Finally, we note the importance of increased amorphization cross-section, as a function of temperature (e.g., the low rate of increase of Dc with temperature for Fe2SiO4).

The layer-by-layer amorphization process is explored in a temperature range in which the kinetics of crystallization can be neglected. It has been found that the pure amorphization rate increases exponentially as the substrate temperature is decreased with an apparent activation energy of 0.48 eV. Moreover the rate increases with both the ion flux and the energy deposited into elastic collisions. A phenomenological model is proposed to explain the experimental results.

A critical regime has been identified for ion implanted silicon where only slight changes in temperature can dramatically affect the levels of residual damage. In this regime decreases of only 5° C are sufficient to induce a crystalline-to-amorphous transformation in material which only exhibited the build-up of extended defects at higher temperatures. Traditional models of damage accumulation and amorphization have proven inapplicable to this regime which exists whenever dynamic defect annealing and damage production are closely balanced. Irradiating ion flux, mass and fluence have all been shown to influence the temperature— which varies over a range of 300° C for ion species ranging from C to Xe—at which the anomalous behaviour occurs. The influence of ion fluence suggests that complex defect accumulation plays an important role in amorphization. Results are presented which further suggest that the process is nucleation limited in this critical regime.