Defect-Induced Amorphization in Silicon

Abstract

We present the first tight-binding molecular-dynamics simulation of the defect-induced crystal-to-amorphous transition in crystalline silicon. The process is studied by monitoring the response of the crystal lattice to a random insertion of self-interstitial defects. Both structural and electronic properties are investigated and a comparison to amorphous silicon as obtained by quenching from the melt is presented. Finally, we study the effects of the post-implantation thermal annealing on the implanted sample.