Direct evidence was presented that ion implantation through thin (less than 5nm) surface oxide layers was a source of O impurities which formed O-defect complexes during heat treatment. The impurity-defect complexes were identified by correlating the results of positron annihilation spectroscopy, secondary ion mass spectroscopy and Monte Carlo simulation. The O atoms were introduced into the bulk via multiple-recoil implantation by primary ions. The signatures of large VmOn formations were observed at 800C, thus implying the existence of smaller species at lower temperatures.

Relation between Surface Oxide and Oxygen-Defect Complexes in Solid-Phase Epitaxial Si Regrown from Ion-Beam Amorphized Si Layers M.P.Petkov, C.M.Chen, H.A.Atwater, S.Rassiga, K.G.Lynn: Applied Physics Letters, 2000, 76[11], 1410-2