Segregation of Ni was observed by atom probe tomography at the edges of a pseudo-hexagonal dislocation loop within As+-implanted (001)Si wafers, after Ni deposition but before heat treatment. Thanks to crystallographic information retained within the atom probe tomography data, the orientation of the loop was determined to be within the {111} plane and elongated along the <1¯10> direction. The presence of pseudo-hexagonal dislocation loops was confirmed by transmission electron microscopy. Concentrations of more than 10 at.% in Ni were measured at the edges of the loop.

Nickel Segregation on Dislocation Loops in Implanted Silicon. K.Hoummada, D.Mangelinck, B.Gault, M.Cabié: Scripta Materialia, 2011, 64[5], 378-81