Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 February 2011
Residual damage in the form of point defect clusters and amorphous regions has been investigated in ion and neutron irradiated silicon specimens. Annealing of this damage during conventional heating, flame annealing, and pulsed laser irradiation has been studied by plan-view and cross-section electron microscopy techniques. These results provide detailed information on annealing mechanisms, and emphasize the characterization of damage in the as-irradiated state.