Crystals were implanted with 2MeV 166Er+ ions, at room temperature, to doses of 5 x 1012, 1011, 5 x 1014, 1015 or 2.5 x 1015/cm2. Conventional furnace annealing was carried out at 600 to 1150C. Radiation damage and its annealing behavior were investigated by using Rutherford back-scattering spectrometry and channelling techniques. Doses of above 5 x 1014/cm2 were found to produce amorphous layers. The results showed that the annealing behavior of 2MeV Er+ was strongly influenced by the implantation dose and annealing temperature. An abnormal annealing behavior was observed in the case of samples which were implanted to doses of 5 x 1014/cm2 or more. Substantial Er out-diffusion was investigated in samples which were implanted to a dose of 2.5 x 1015/cm2. The Er out-diffusion increased with annealing temperature. The Er depth distribution changed, from an initially unimodal Gaussian form, to a bimodal distribution with build-up of Er near to the surface.

Defect Formation and Annealing Behavior of Si Implanted with High-Energy 166Er Ions. Y.Li, C.Tan, C.Xue, J.Zhang, H.Xu, P.Liu, L.Wang: Nuclear Instruments & Methods in Physics Research B, 2001, 174[1-2], 137-42