Recrystallization of silicon amorphized by carbon implantation

Implanting (100) silicon substrates with 35 keV carbon ions at a dose of 1.5×1016 cm−2 causes Si to amorphize from the surface to a depth of 133±3 nm. Upon annealing at 800 °C the amorphized material recrystallizes to polycrystalline and highly defective single-crystal layers. An in situ annealing study of a cross-sectional transmission electron microscope specimen reveals that the minimum temperature needed to recrystallize the amorphous material is 725±25 °C. At this temperature grains that grow from the substrate surface dominate the recrystallization process leading to the formation of polycrystalline layer.