Ion Beam Induced Amorphization and Crystallization Processes in Silicon and GaAs

Abstract

AbstractThin 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.