Ion-beam-induced recrystallization in Si(100) studied with slow positron annihilation and Rutherford backscattering and channeling

Abstract

Ion-beam-induced crystallization in silicon preamorphized by Ge-ion implantation was studied by combined means of Rutherford backscattering and channeling, and positron annihilation. The epitaxial regrowth of amorphous surface layers in a 〈100〉 Si substrate has been studied with irradiation of 400-keV ${\mathrm{Ar}}^{+}$ ions at the temperature of 400 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C. The ion-beam-induced epitaxy was found to result in a drastic increase in the positron lifetime to a maximum value of 400 psec in the recrystallized silicon layer. It is demonstrated that vacancy migration is promoted during the epitaxial recrystallization to form defect complexes like trivacancies and/or quadrivacancies.