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Evolution of Semiconductor Thin Film and Surface Microstructure During Ion Bombardment
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 February 2011
Abstract
Defects created by ion irradiation can enable new modes of microstructural development at interfaces and surfaces in semiconductor thin films. Two examples are described. First, novel kinetic paths for microstructural evolution via MeV ion beam modification of amorphous-crystal interface motion in Si are discussed. At intermediate temperatures, amorphous layer formation is initiated at interfaces such as surfaces and grain boundaries in polycrystalline Si. Irradiation at higher temperatures during the early stages of Si crystallization leads to a significant enhancement of the crystal nucleation rate, while nearly complete suppression of crystal nucleation during crystal growth can be achieved by a cyclic irradiation-induced amorphization and thermal growth process. Second, a new development in misfit strain accommodation in epitaxial semiconductor films is described in which ion-induced injection of point defect complexes can produce coherent, uniformly strained epitaxial thin films. Measurement of strain in epitaxial films can be used to distinguish between surface and sub-surface atomic displacements generated by a low energy ion beam.
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- Copyright © Materials Research Society 1991