Nd: YAG laser annealing of gallium-implanted silicon

A Q-switched Nd: YAG laser with a pulse duration of 20 ns was used to investigate effects of laser annealing in gallium implanted silicon. Rutherford backscattering and Hall-effect measurements were performed to evaluate the annealed layer. Differential Hall-effect measurements were carried out to obtain carrier concentration profiles after annealing. It was found that a maximum sheet carrier concentration of 8×10¹⁵ cm⁻² can be obtained for a gallium implantation of 10¹⁶ cm⁻² by laser annealing with an energy density of more than 1.0 J cm⁻². Although the peak carrier concentration was found to be 8.0×10²⁰ cm⁻³, the annealed layer showed polycrystalline structures even after annealing with an energy density up to 4J cm⁻². The annealing took place in the solid phase in this energy density range.     

Nitrogen implantation in GaAs1−xPx (x=0.4; 0.65)

Nitrogen ions were implanted in GaAs_1−xP_x (x=0.4; 0.65) at room temperature at various doses from 5×10¹² cm⁻² to 5×10¹⁵ cm⁻² and annealed at temperatures from 600°C up to 950°C using a sputtered SiO₂ encapsulation to investigate the possibility of creating isoelectronic traps by ion implantation. Photoluminescence and channeling measurements were performed to characterize implanted layers. The effects of damage induced by optically inactive neon ion implantation on photoluminescence spectrum were also investigated. By channeling measurements it was found that damage induced by nitrogen implantation is removed by annealing at 800°C. A nitrogen induced emission intensity comparable to the intensity of band gap emission for unimplanted material was observed for implanted GaAs_0.6P_0.4 after annealing at 850°C, while an enhancement of the emission intensity by a factor of 180 as compared with an unimplanted material was observed for implanted GaAs_0.35P_0.65 after annealing at 950°C. An anomalous diffusion of nitrogen atoms was found for implanted GaAs_0.6P_0.4 after annealing at and above 900°C.     

Near IR laser light visualizators using nonlinear GaSe and other layered crystallites

Two methods of preparation of the devices for visualization of pulsed and continuous near-IR (near infrared) are described and the results of conversion of pulsed and continuous IR (800–1360 nm) laser radiation into the visible range of spectra (400–680 nm) by using a transparent substrate covered with the particles (including nanoparticles) of effective nonlinear materials of GaSe _x S_{1 − x} (0.2 ≤ x ≤ 0.8) are presented. Converted light can be detected in transmission or reflection geometry as a visible spot corresponding to the real size of the incident laser beam. Developed device structures can be used for checking if the laser is working or not, for optical adjustment, for visualization of distribution of laser radiation over the cross of the beam and for investigation of the content of the laser radiation. Low energy (power density) limit for visualization of the IR laser pulses with 2–3 ps duration for these device structures are: between 4.6–2.1 μJ (3 × 10⁻⁴−1 × 10⁻⁴ W/cm²) at 1200 nm; between 8.4–2.6 μJ (4.7 × 10⁻⁴−1.5 × 10⁻⁴ W/cm²) at 1300 nm; between 14.4–8.1 μJ (8.2 × 10⁻⁴–4.6 × 10⁻⁴ W/cm²) at 1360 nm. Threshold damage density is more than 10 MW/cm² at λ = 1060 nm, pulse duration τ = 35 ps. The results are compared with commercially existing laser light visualizators.     

Trap characterization for Bi4Ti3O12 thin films by thermally stimulated currents

Thermally stimulated current (TSC) measurements performed in the 100 K–400 K temperature range on Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ (BiT) thin films annealed at 550 °C and 700 °C had revealed two trapping levels having activation energies of 0.55 eV and 0.6 eV. The total trap concentration was estimated at 10¹⁵ cm⁻³ for the samples annealed at 550 °C and 3×10¹⁵ cm⁻³ for a 700 °C annealing and the trap capture cross-section was estimated about 10⁻¹⁸ cm². From the temperature dependence of the dark current in the temperature range 20 °C–120 °C the conduction mechanism activation energy was found to be about 0.956–0.978 eV. The electrical conductivity depends not only on the sample annealing temperature but also whether the measurement is performed in vacuum or air. The results on the dark conductivity are discussed considering the influence of oxygen atoms and oxygen vacancies. Received: 28 January 1998 / Accepted: 8 January 1999 / Published online: 5 May 1999     

Spectroscopic characterization and diode-pumped 910 nm laser of Nd:LiLuF4 crystal

Polarized absorption and fluorescence spectra Nd³⁺-doped LiLuF₄ single crystal were investigated. The peak emission cross section at 905 and 910 nm are 0.97 × 10⁻²⁰ and 0.82 × 10⁻²⁰ cm², respectively. Two samples with different dimensions were tested in the laser experiments. With a laser-diode as the pump source, a maximum 1.17 W laser output at 910 nm has been obtained with a slope efficiency of 16.3% with respect to the pump power.     

Fluence dependant formation of <Emphasis Type="Italic">β</Emphasis>-SiC by ion implantation and thermal annealing

The β-SiC nanocrystals were synthesized by the implantation of carbon ions (C⁻) into silicon followed by high-temperature annealing. The carbon fluences of 1×10¹⁷, 2×10¹⁷, 5×10¹⁷, and 8×10¹⁷ atoms/cm² were implanted at an ion energy of 65 keV. It was observed that the average size of β-SiC crystals decreased and the amount of β-SiC crystals increased with the increase in the implanted fluences when the samples were annealed at 1100 °C for 1 h. However, it was observed that the amount of β-SiC linearly increased with the implanted fluences up to 5×10¹⁷ atoms/cm². Above this fluence the amount of β-SiC appears to saturate. The Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman Spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques were used to characterize the samples.     

Optical properties of laser-processed In x Ga1−x As

Various spots in GaAs, In-diffused with the 1.064 μm line of pulsed Nd:YAG laser with several energy densities, have been characterized and compared with samples prepared by the conventional rapid thermal annealing method. Of the energy densities used, the spot processed with an energy density of 7 J/cm² shows In _x Ga_1?x As phases with an indium concentration of 60% and below. An abrupt boundary in the indium concentration is observed at the edge of the laser-annealed spot. The diffusion depth is found to be less than 1000 Å. The spot processed with an energy density of 14 J/cm² shows considerable damage from the irradiation resulting in strain in the lattice. The samples prepared by the thermal annealing method show similar results to the laser-diffused samples. However, these thermally annealed samples suffer from arsenic loss unlike the laser-processed samples. It can be concluded that laser-induced alloying of indium into GaAs can be achieved with less arsenic loss than the thermal annealing method.     

Control of acceptor doping in MOCVD HgCdTe epilayers

The acceptor doping of mercury cadmium telluride (HgCdTe) layers grown by MOCVD are investigated. (111)HgCdTe layers were grown on (100)GaAs substrates at 350°C using horizontal reactor and interdiffused multilayer process (IMP). TDMAAs and AsH3 were alternatively used as effective p-type doping precursors. Incorporation and activation rates of arsenic have been studied. Over a wide range of Hg_1−xCd_xTe compositions (0.17 < x < 0.4), arsenic doping concentration in the range from 5×10¹⁵ cm⁻³ to 5×10¹⁷ cm⁻³ was obtained without postgrowth annealing. The electrical and chemical properties of epitaxial layers are specified by measurements of SIMS profiles, Hall effect and minority carrier lifetimes. It is confirmed that the Auger-7 mechanism has decisive influence on carrier lifetime in p-type HgCdTe epilayers.     

Femtosecond laser plasma in CaF<Subscript>2</Subscript> crystal microchannel and effective generation of characteristic X-ray radiation

The dependence of the characteristic X-ray radiation yield from CaF₂ crystal on the formed microchannel depth under highly intensive (I ∼ 3 × 10¹⁵ W/cm²) laser pulses with different contrast was obtained. The maximum of the characteristic X-ray radiation yield at these experimental conditions corresponded to the microchannel depth of 30–50 μm. The efficiency of the laser radiation conversion to the characteristic X-ray radiation increased from 6 × 10⁻⁸ for the surface up to 10⁻⁷ in the microchannel. The dependence of the characteristic X-ray radiation yield on the viewing angle showed that the source of X-ray radiation was located near the surface inside the microchannel.     

Recrystallization of amorphous nanotracks and uniform layers generated by swift-ion-beam irradiation in lithium niobate

The thermal annealing of amorphous tracks of nanometer-size diameter generated in lithium niobate (LiNbO₃) by Bromine ions at 45 MeV, i.e., in the electronic stopping regime, has been investigated by RBS/C spectrometry in the temperature range from 250°C to 350°C. Relatively low fluences have been used (<10¹² cm⁻²) to produce isolated tracks. However, the possible effect of track overlapping has been investigated by varying the fluence between 3×10¹¹ cm⁻² and 10¹² cm⁻². The annealing process follows a two-step kinetics. In a first stage (I) the track radius decreases linearly with the annealing time. It obeys an Arrhenius-type dependence on annealing temperature with activation energy around 1.5 eV. The second stage (II) operates after the track radius has decreased down to around 2.5 nm and shows a much lower radial velocity. The data for stage I appear consistent with a solid-phase epitaxial process that yields a constant recrystallization rate at the amorphous-crystalline boundary. HRTEM has been used to monitor the existence and the size of the annealed isolated tracks in the second stage. On the other hand, the thermal annealing of homogeneous (buried) amorphous layers has been investigated within the same temperature range, on samples irradiated with Fluorine at 20 MeV and fluences of ∼10¹⁴ cm⁻². Optical techniques are very suitable for this case and have been used to monitor the recrystallization of the layers. The annealing process induces a displacement of the crystalline-amorphous boundary that is also linear with annealing time, and the recrystallization rates are consistent with those measured for tracks. The comparison of these data with those previously obtained for the heavily damaged (amorphous) layers produced by elastic nuclear collisions is summarily discussed.     

Swift heavy ion irradiation induced modification of BiFeO3 thin films prepared by sol-gel method

We report the preparation of multiferroic BiFeO₃ thin films on ITO coated glass substrates through sol-gel spin coating method followed by thermal annealing and their modification by swift heavy ion (SHI) irradiation. X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy studies revealed amorphous nature of the as deposited films. Rhombohedral crystalline phase of BiFeO₃ evolved on annealing the films at 550°C. Both XRD and Raman studies indicated that SHI irradiation by 200 MeV Au ions result in fragmentation of particles and progressive amorphization with increasing irradiation fluence. The average crystallite size estimated from the XRD line width decreased from 38 nm in pristine sample annealed at 550°C to 29 nm on irradiating these films by 200 MeV Au ions at 1 × 10¹¹ ions cm⁻². Complete amorphization of the rhombohedral BiFeO₃ phase occurs at a fluence of 1 × 10¹² ions.cm⁻². Irradiation by another ion (200 MeV Ag) had the similar effect. For both the ions, the electronic energy loss exceeds the threshold electronic energy loss for creation of amorphized latent tracks in BiFeO₃.     

Influence of Cr<Superscript>+</Superscript> ion implantation and pulsed ion-beam annealing on the formation and optical properties of Si/CrSi<Subscript>2</Subscript>/Si(111) heterostructures

The effect of pulsed ion-beam annealing on the surface morphology, structure, and composition of single-crystal Si(111) wafers implanted by chromium ions with a dose varying from 6 × 10¹⁵ to 6 × 10¹⁶ cm⁻² and on subsequent growth of silicon is investigated for the first time. It is found that pulsed ion-beam annealing causes chromium atom redistribution in the surface layer of the silicon and precipitation of the polycrystalline chromium disilicide (CrSi₂) phase. It is shown that the ultrahigh-vacuum cleaning of the silicon wafers at 850°C upon implantation and pulsed ion-beam annealing provides an atomically clean surface with a developed relief. The growth of silicon by molecular beam epitaxy generates oriented 3D silicon islands, which coalesce at a layer thickness of 100 nm and an implantation dose of 10¹⁶ cm⁻². At higher implantation doses, the silicon layer grows polycrystalline. As follows from Raman scattering data and optical reflectance spectroscopy data, semiconducting CrSi₂ precipitates arise inside the silicon substrate, which diffuse toward its surface during growth.     

A comparative study of the ionic keV X-ray line emission from plasma produced by the femtosecond,picosecond and nanosecond duration laser pulses

We report here an experimental study of the ionic keV X-ray line emission from magnesium plasma produced by laser pulses of three widely different pulse durations (FWHM) of 45 fs, 25 ps and 3 ns, at a constant laser fluence of ∼1.5 × 10⁴ J cm^− 2. It is observed that the X-ray yield of the resonance lines from the higher ionization states such as H- and He-like ions decreases on decreasing the laser pulse duration, even though the peak laser intensities of 3.5 × 10¹⁷ W cm^− 2 for the 45 fs pulses and 6.2 × 10¹⁴ W cm^− 2 for the 25 ps pulses are much higher than 5 × 10¹² W cm^− 2 for the 3 ns laser pulse. The results were explained in terms of the ionization equilibrium time for different ionization states in the heated plasma. The study can be useful to make optimum choice of the laser pulse duration to produce short pulse intense X-ray line emission from the plasma and to get the knowledge of the degree of ionization in the plasma.     

Enhancement of minority carrier lifetime in GaAs1? x P x ( x =0.4; 0.65) by nitrogen implantation

Minority carrier lifetimes in nitrogen implanted GaAs_1-x P _x (x=0.4; 0.65) were measured at 77K by an optical phase shift method as a function of nitrogen dose and annealing temperature in order to investigate the dependence of the lifetime on the concentration of nitrogen isoelectronic traps. A large increase in the lifetime was observed after nitrogen implantation followed by annealing at and above 800°C. The maximum lifetimes were 22ns for GaAs_0.35P_0.65 and 6.7 ns for GaAs_0.6P_0.4. They were obtained by implantation to a dose of 5×10¹³ cm⁻² in GaAs_0.35P_0.65 and 10¹³ cm⁻² in GaAs_0.6P_0.4. The lifetime after nitrogen implantation followed by annealing was longer by a factor of 6–7 than that of the unimplanted sample.     

Incorporation of the transition metal Hf into GaN

The perturbed angular correlation (PAC) technique was applied to study the incorporation of the transition metal Hf into GaN after implantation. To this end the PAC probe ¹⁸¹Hf(¹⁸¹Ta) was implanted into epitaxial Wurtzite GaN layers (1.3 μm on sapphire) with an energy of 160 keV and doses of 7× 10¹² at/cm². PAC spectra were recorded during an isochronal annealing programme, using rapid thermal annealing (RTA) and furnace annealing, in the 300–1000oC temperature range. After implantation the spectra show a damped oscillation corresponding to a quadrupole interaction frequency (QIF) of ν_Q= 340 MHz for 30% of the probe nuclei. Annealing up to 600oC reduces the damping of this frequency without an increase of the probe atom fraction f_s in these sites. Above 600oC f_s grows rapidly until after the 900oC RTA step more than 80% of the Hf probes experience a well defined QIF due to the incorporation of Hf on undisturbed sites of the hexagonal GaN wurtzite lattice. An interaction frequency of ν_Q= 340 MHz is derived. RTA and furnace annealing yield similar results for annealing up to 800oC, where the undisturbed fraction reaches about 60%. Then RTA at higher temperatures increases this fraction, while furnace annealing leads to a decrease down to 22% after annealing at 1000oC. To our knowledge this is the first time that a transition metal probe like Hf is incorporated to such a large extent into a semiconductor lattice. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Ion synthesis and laser annealing of Cu nanoparticles in Al2O3

Al₂O₃ samples with Cu nanoparticles, synthesised by ion implantation at 40 keV with a dose of 1×10¹⁷ ion/cm² and a current density from 2.5 to 12.5 μA/cm², were annealed using ten pulses from a KrF excimer laser with a single pulse fluence of 0.3 J/cm². The copper depth distribution, formation and modification of metal nanoparticles under the ion implantation and laser treatment were studied by Rutherford backscattering (RBS), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and optical spectroscopy. It was found that laser annealing leads to a reduction in the nanoparticle size without diffusion of metal atoms into the bulk. The change in particle size and the possibility for oxidation of the copper particles are examined in the framework of Mie theory. Calculations presented show that under excimer laser treatment, Cu nanoparticles are more likely to be reduced in size than to undergo oxidation. Received: 19 April 2001 / Accepted: 7 November 2001 / Published online: 23 January 2002     

CEMS study on aluminium implanted iron

Up to now a great deal of investigations in ion beam mixing of iron-aluminium layers are known. However, the easier way to produce such layers by direct implantation of aluminium ions in iron is less studied. In the present work aluminium implanted iron layers are studied. Iron samples were implanted with aluminium ions at 50, 100, and 200 keV, respectively, with doses between 5×10¹⁶ and 5×10¹⁷ cm⁻². Independent of energy, at doses up to 2×10¹⁷ cm⁻², besides alpha iron further magnetic fractions with a Fe₃Al-like structure are formed while at a dose of 5×10¹⁷ cm⁻² amorphous nonmagnetic components are formed.     

Trap-centers of self-interstitials in silicon

Deep-level profiles were measured radially acrossn-type FZ silicon wafers containing A-swirl defects by applying DLTS to an array of Schottky contacts. The trapparameters were obtained very accurately using a computer-fit procedure for the full DLTS peaks. Two acceptor levels atE _c −0.49 eV (σ _n =6.6×10⁻¹⁶cm²) andE _c −0.07 eV (σ _n =4.6×10⁻¹⁶cm²) were observed, which varied oppositely to the A-swirl defect density. At short ranges (1–2mm) the trap concentration-profile was smeared out and did not follow the strong fluctuations in the etch pattern. Both levels were measured together with the same concentration. The profiles indicate outdiffusion. A level atE _c −0.14 eV (σ _n =1.1×10⁻¹⁶cm²) was not related to A-swirl defects. A level atE _c −0.11 eV (σ _n =1.1×10⁻¹⁵cm²) was only detected in one ingot. The properties of the deep level atE _c −0.49 eV are discussed in the light of published DLTS results reported for γ-irradiation, laser annealing after self-implantation, annealing under pressure and oxidation of silicon samples. It is concluded, that this level is related to interstitial silicon rather than to an impurity.     

Three-dimensional simulation of laser–plasma-based electron acceleration

A sequential three-dimensional (3D) particle-in-cell simulation code PICPSI-3D with a user friendly graphical user interface (GUI) has been developed and used to study the interaction of plasma with ultrahigh intensity laser radiation. A case study of laser–plasma-based electron acceleration has been carried out to assess the performance of this code. Simulations have been performed for a Gaussian laser beam of peak intensity 5 × 10¹⁹ W/cm² propagating through an underdense plasma of uniform density 1 × 10¹⁹ cm^− 3, and for a Gaussian laser beam of peak intensity 1.5 × 10¹⁹ W/cm² propagating through an underdense plasma of uniform density 3.5 × 10¹⁹ cm^− 3. The electron energy spectrum has been evaluated at different time-steps during the propagation of the laser beam. When the plasma density is 1 × 10¹⁹ cm^− 3, simulations show that the electron energy spectrum forms a monoenergetic peak at ~14 MeV, with an energy spread of ±7 MeV. On the other hand, when the plasma density is 3.5 × 10¹⁹ cm^− 3, simulations show that the electron energy spectrum forms a monoenergetic peak at ~23 MeV, with an energy spread of ±7.5 MeV.     

Visualization of focusing–refocusing cycles during filamentation in BaF<Subscript>2</Subscript>

Filamentation occurs within a 1.5 cm-long crystal of BaF₂ during the propagation of intense, ultrashort (40 fs) pulses of 800 nm light; a systematic study as a function of incident power enables us to extract quantitative information on laser intensity within the condensed medium, the electron density and the six-photon absorption cross section. At low incident power, a single filament is formed within the crystal; two or more filaments are observed along the direction transverse to laser propagation at higher incident powers. Further, due to fluorescence from six-photon absorption (6PA), we are able to map the intensity variation in the focusing–refocusing cycles along the direction of laser propagation. At still higher incident powers, we observe splitting of multiple filaments. By measuring the radius (L _min) of single filament inside BaF₂, we obtain estimates of peak intensities (I _max) and electron densities (ρ _max) to be 3.26×10¹³ W cm⁻² and 2.81×10¹⁹ cm⁻³, respectively. Use of these values enables us to deduce that the 6PA cross-section in BaF₂ is 0.33×10⁻⁷⁰ cm¹² W⁻⁶ s⁻¹.