Structure properties of carbon implanted silicon layers

In this paper, the composition and structure of homogeneous silicon carbide layers produced by multiple implantation of 40-, 20-, 10-, 5- and 3-keV carbon ions into silicon were studied by transmission electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Auger spectroscopy, IR spectroscopy and Atomic force microscopy. After high temperature annealing the homogeneous, fine-grained, polycrystalline SiC 0.95 and SiC 1.4 films consists of globular or plate-like grains are obtained. The intensive translations of atoms during annealing at 800–1400 °C are taken place causing the deformation of the layer surface and the formation of grains with sizes ∼30–100 nm. The grains consist of chaotically oriented SiC crystallites with average sizes ∼5 nm. The temperature dependences of IR spectra parameters are evidence of similarity of carbon and silicon-carbon clusters types in SiC 0.95 and SiC 1.4 layers. An influence of carbon- and silicon-carbon clusters prevailed in as-implanted layer on the crystallization processes in silicon layers with high carbon concentration, are considered.