Defects in ion-implanted crystalline silicon probed by femtosecond laser spectroscopy

Summary Radiation damage is generated in a controlled manner by MeV ion implantation of Si⁺ and He⁺ ions in c-Si and studied by ultrafast laser pulses on a subpicosecond time scale. In Si⁺-implanted samples the amorphization of the sample is achieved at sufficiently high doses, while He implants only produce a very low level of damage. Defects are investigated after implantation by measuringex situ the change of reflectivity caused by a high density of electron-hole plasma generated by femtosecond laser pulses. The plasma decay time decreases as a function of the implantation dose in both Si- and He-implanted samples, reaching a minimum value of ≈1 ps. It is observed that the saturation of the decay time is not related to the amorphization of the sample, but rather to the formation of simple defects produced during ion implantation.