Damage accumulation in 4H–SiC under 1.1MeV Al22+ irradiation was investigated as a function of dose at 150 to 450K. Based upon Rutherford back-scattering spectroscopy and nuclear reaction analysis channelling spectra, the damage accumulation on both the Si and C sub-lattices were determined, and a disorder accumulation model was fit to the data. The model fits indicated that defect-stimulated amorphization was the primary amorphization mechanism in SiC over the temperature range investigated. The temperature dependence of the cross section for defect-stimulated amorphization and the critical dose for amorphization indicated that two different dynamic recovery processes were present, which were attributed to short-range recombination and long-range migration of point defects below and above room temperature, respectively. As the irradiation temperature approaches the critical temperature for amorphization, cluster formation had an increasing effect on disorder accumulation, and ion flux plays an important role on the nature and evolution of disorder. Dislocation loops, which were mostly formed under high ion flux, act as sinks for point defects, thereby reducing the disorder accumulation rate.

Effects of Implantation Temperature on Damage Accumulation in Al-Implanted 4H–SiC. Y.Zhang, W.J.Weber, W.Jiang, C.M.Wang, V.Shutthanandan, A.Hallén: Journal of Applied Physics, 2004, 95[8], 4012-8