Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 February 2011
Single crystal (111) and (100) Ge wafers were implanted with 16O (180 keV, 2.0 x 1018/cm2, 14–28 ¼A/cm2 ) at substrate temperatures of 250, 330, and 500°C. Implanted samples were annealed at 350, 450, 550, and 650°C for 30–90 minutes in an Ar ambient. Rutherford backscattering channeling analysis and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy indicate that an amorphous buried layer is formed by implantation and that the overlayer contains a dense network of precipitates. Electron spin resonance measurements indicate that the layer does not contain GeO2, but rather oxygen deficient GeO2. Annealing of samples up to 550°C showed no change in the morphology, however, after annealing at 650°C the buried layer was gone and all that remained was a damaged Ge substrate with little or no oxygen. Further annealing for 60 min left nearly virgin Ge.