Solid-phase re-growth was investigated by using ion-beam techniques and extended X-ray absorption fine-structure spectroscopy. It was found that the local Se-In structure was already established in as-implanted amorphous material, although the Se atoms had a lower average coordination number (about 3.5) and no long-range order. After high-temperature rapid thermal annealing (950C, 5s), the amorphous material re-grew and became a single crystal in which Se atoms were bonded to four In neighbors. However, only some 50% of the Se became electrically active. Part of the Se precipitated in the form of an In-Se phase. Another fraction was compensated by defects which were not entirely removed by annealing. The Se-In bond distance for Se on a P site was 4.5% longer than the matrix In-P bond-length, and introduced large strains into the crystal. The solid solubility of Se in InP was estimated to be equal to 8.7 x 1019/cm3. The Se atoms in material which was re-grown at lower temperatures in a furnace were found to have different local environments (higher coordination number and shorter bond length) than those in material which had been perfectly re-grown at higher temperatures.

K.M.Yu, N.Chan, L.Hsu: Journal of Applied Physics, 1996, 79[11], 8445-50