The damage which was created in oxide layers by 130keV Ar ions, and the recovery of the structure during annealing, were studied as a function of the implantation dose. Quantitative determinations of the resultant damage were performed by using infra-red spectroscopy. Two dose thresholds for damage were identified. At 1014/cm2, the damage saturated. At doses above 1017/cm2, sputtering effects predominated. Annealing at 1100C restored the structure of the initially non-implanted oxide only for doses that were below the second threshold; although some disorder remained. Electroluminescence measurements showed that annealing could eliminate electrically active defects. At implantation doses that were greater than 1017/cm2, annealing was unable to restore the structure completely because sputtering effects created a depleted O layer at the surface, and sub-stoichiometric defects appeared. The presence of micro-cavities that were created by the Ar atoms at the highest doses was thought to affect the annealing behavior.

B.Garrido, J.Samitier, S.Bota, J.A.Moreno, J.Montserrat, J.R.Morante: Journal of Applied Physics, 1997, 81[1], 126-34