EPR studies of point defect and amorphous phase production during ion implantation in Silicon

Abstract

The production of point defects and the amorphous phase in silicon during the implantation of various mass ions at 77 K and 300 K has been studied as a function of ion fluence using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR). The EPR spectra of the centres Si-P3 (neutral tetra-vacancy), Si-P6 (silicon di-interstitial), Si-A5 (probably another self-interstitial defect), Si-B3 (of unknown structure) were observed. For interpretation an overlap-damage model was used which had been developed from the Gibbons model. In this model the defect density is assumed to be inhomogeneous across the cluster volume. In agreement with the results of other authors, the kinetics of the point defects exhibits a predamage state during the amorphisation in the case of a low temperature implantation. In the case of room temperature implantation the out-diffusion is very important, and the production of the defects heavily depends on the ion mass.