At room temperature, single-crystal Si was implanted with Cu+ ions at an energy of 80keV using 2 doses of 5 x 1015 and 1017 Cu+/cm2. The samples were heat-treated using conventional thermal annealing at 200C, 230C, 350C, 450C and 500C. The interdiffusion and solid-state reactions between the as-implanted samples and the as-annealed samples were investigated by means of Rutherford back-scattering spectrometry and X-ray diffraction. After annealing at 230C, the X-ray diffraction results of the samples (subjected to 2 different doses) showed the formation of Cu3Si. According to Rutherford back-scattering spectrometry, the interdiffusion between Cu and Si atoms after annealing was very insignificant. It was suggested that formation of Cu3Si after annealing at 230C suppressed further interdiffusion between Si and Cu atoms.

The Interdiffusion and Solid-State Reaction of Low-Energy Copper Ions Implanted in Silicon. X.X.Gao, T.J.Li, G.P.Li, B.Cao: Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research B, 2008, 266[11], 2572-5