<i>I</i> <i>n</i> <i>s</i> <i>i</i> <i>t</i> <i>u</i> thermal annealing of InP amorphous layer induced by Si+ implantation

Abstract

I n situ transmission electron microscopy was used to investigate recrystallization during InP annealing up to 700 K after room-temperature Si+ implantation (50 keV) with fluences from 2×1013 to 5×1014 Si/cm2. The formation of perfect interstitial dislocation loops was observed during InP crystal regrowth (&amp;lt;1×1014 Si/cm2 ). At high total fluences (≳5×1013 Si/cm2 ) epitaxial precipitation of orthorhombic PSi and P2Si phases are unambiguously identified for the first time and several epitaxial relationships were found. This precipitation process confirms the high mobility of P atoms and leads us to assume that at lower fluence small PSi (&amp;lt;1.5 nm) clusters are present after annealing and could be accounted to the presence of faulted loops observed at the lowest total fluence of ∼2×1013 Si/cm2.