Influence of oxygen on the ion-assisted regrowth of deposited Si layers

Summary The ion-assisted regrowth of chemical-vapour deposited Si films onto (100) Si substrates is reported. The regrowth was induced by a 600 keV Kr⁺⁺ beam at doses in the range (2·10¹⁵÷6·10¹⁵)/cm² and at a dose rate of 1·10¹²/cm²s. The target temperature was set at 450°C. During irradiations the crystal-amorphous interface velocity was measuredin situ by monitoring the reflectivity of a He-Ne laser light focused onto the sample surface. After irradiation some samples were also analysed by Rutherford backscattering in combination with the channelling effect and by transmission electron microscopy. The growth rate of deposited layers depends on the cleaning procedure performed prior to deposition,i.e on the total amount of oxygen present at the deposited layer/substrate interface. Moreover, twinned material is observed in the recrystallized layers and its concentration is strongly dependent on substrate cleaning. These phenomena are explained in terms of a decrease in the ion-assisted growth rate in the presence of high oxygen concentrations. The data are discussed and compared with those obtained during pure thermal annealing. To speed up publication, the authors of this paper has agreed to not receive the proofs for correction.