Ion Beam Synthesis of embedded SiC

TL;DR

This study demonstrates the synthesis of embedded silicon carbide in silicon via high dose carbon ion implantation and annealing, confirming the formation of cubic SiC with nanoscale precipitates and analyzing the effects of crystal orientation.

Contribution

It introduces a method for synthesizing embedded SiC in silicon using ion implantation and annealing, with detailed structural analysis and orientation-dependent crystallinity insights.

Findings

Silicon carbide precipitates are nanoscale and cubic phase.

Crystalline order of SiC is better in (100) oriented silicon.

Amorphized regions recrystallize into polycrystalline silicon after annealing.

Abstract

The synthesis of embedded silicon carbide was carried out in N type silicon samples having (100) and (111) orientations using high dose implantation of carbon ions at room temperature. The variation of dose was employed to get dose dependence of silicon carbide formation. Postimplant annealing at 1000 C in order to anneal out the implantion induced defects and to get silicon carbide precipitates in silicon matrix. Detailed Fourier tarnsform infrared spectroscopy analysis and x-ray diffraction studies confirms the formation of cubic phase of silicon carbide. The grain size of the silicon carbide precipitates is estimated to a few nano meters. The silicon carbide precipitates have been found to exhibit a better crystalline order in silicon (100) samples than in silicon (111) samples.The x-ray diffraction results also indicate the amorphization of bombarded region of the silicon samples. After annealing the amorphized region got recrystalized into a polycrystalline phase of silicon.