Paper eintragenThe effects of intense irradiation upon the structure of crystalline material which had been amorphized by energetic ions, and subsequent solid-phase epitaxial re-growth of the amorphous layers, were studied. It was found that small crystallites were still present in the amorphized layers, even though the ion dose was well above the amorphization threshold (as measured by Rutherford back-scattering). The absorption of X-rays by Si atoms provided enough energy to disperse small crystallites in the amorphous material; thus reducing the number of interfacial defects as well as locally rearranging the atoms so as to form an homogeneously amorphous layer with a near fourfold-coordinated environment. This rearrangement of the local structure of the amorphous material resulted in an almost defect-free crystal after solid-phase epitaxy.

K.M.Yu, L.Wang, W.Walukiewicz: Semiconductor Science and Technology, 1997, 12[4], 460-3