It was recalled that recent studies had indicated that transient enhanced diffusion in implanted Si could be attributed to {113} rod-like defects. Plan-view and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy were used to study the microstructural evolution of such defects, as well as their transition to {111} dislocation loops during the heat treatment of Si-amorphized material. It was found that the rod-like defects underwent 3 stages of change during post-implantation annealing. These were the accumulation of point defects to form homogeneous circular interstitial clusters, the growth of these clusters along the <110> direction in a {113} habit plane, and dissolution into the matrix. It was observed that the nucleation of {111} dislocation loops at the amorphous/crystalline interface lagged behind that of the {113} defects, and occurred while the latter grew and/or dissolved. It was suggested that there was a period when {113} defects released interstitial point defects before {111} dislocation loops nucleated from the matrix. The {113} defects disappeared completely during annealing at 900C for 120s, but the {111} dislocation loops disappeared during annealing at 1100C for 60s.

G.Z.Pan, K.N.Tu, S.Prussin: Applied Physics Letters, 1997, 71[5], 659-61