Thermal spiking in high energy bombarded silicon

Abstract

Thermal spiking in 2 MeV N+ bombarded silicon is reported. In areas of most intense irradiation the amorphous silicon, a result of the ion bombardment, can melt locally and subsequently crystallize. The crystallized silicon has the same crystalliuity and orientation as the surrounding lattice. In these areas the matrix lattice becomes strained. The strained lattice is visible in X‐ray topographs through the presence of moiré fringes. The strained area around the crystallized silicon is soluble in HF.

Ion implantation doping of compound semiconductors

“…This leads to a volume change, resulting in an elevation of the surface of the bombarded region which has been observed in Xi and GaAs [20], together with anomalous values for the number of interstitial atoms, as obtained from Rutherford back-scattering measurements. Another approach t o the study of damage effects has been made by Brinkman [21] and others [22] subsequently: since the ion supplies a large amount of energy t o a localised region of the crystal, the process is considered macroscopically, in terms of local heating and possibly melting of this region, the energy being subsequently lost by thermal conduction. The effect is known as a thermal spike, and extremely high local temperatures are developed for a very short time.…”