Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 February 2011
The combination of electrical, Transmission Electron Microscopy and Triple Crystal X-ray Diffraction measurements allow us to separate the existence of a local impurity activation process from the amorphous- crystal transformation. The local process occurs in the highly damaged surface layer induced by the arsenic implantation and is efficient well below the Solid Phase Epitaxy transition temperature. It is suggested that point defect migration should play an important role in the electrical impurity activation at low annealing temperatures.