Thin strain-relaxed SiGe grown by ultrahigh vacuum chemical vapor deposition

Large-scale preparation of thin strain-relaxed SiGe is achieved by combining ion implantation and ultrahigh vacuum chemical vapor deposition. The resulting materials were analyzed by double crystal X-ray diffraction, micro-Raman spectroscopy, and tapping mode atomic force microscope. Results revealed that 100-nm-thick Si_0.7Ge_0.3 layers with the diameter of 125 mm and full strain relaxation are successfully prepared by pre-modifying the Si substrates using 50 keV Ar⁺ ions. The strain relaxation is also disclosed to change with both ion species and energy. However, post-modification of SiGe by ion implantation will cause serious damage to the crystal structures, and result in the formation of poly-crystal SiGe.     

Morphological and micro-Raman investigations on Ar-ion irradiated nanostructured GaAs surface

Low energy Ar⁺-ion irradiation at normal incidence is used to fabricate nanostructured GaAs surface. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) images reveal the formation of GaAs surface nanodots with an average size of about 25-35 nm. The swelling of irradiated surface is observed at a higher energy due to the ion beam-induced porosity in the amorphized GaAs surface. Micro-Raman scattering shows a gradual increase in the downward shift and line shape broadening of optical phonon modes from the nanostructured GaAs prepared with increasing ion dose and beam energy. The rapid broadening of the transverse-optical phonon mode at a higher energy and dose represents the onset of plastic deformation of the irradiated surface. Furthermore, the influence of rapid thermal annealing (RTA) shows a reverse LO and TO phonon peakshift and the change in the lineshape due to reduction of the amorphous disorder.     

Self-organized dot patterns on Si surfaces during noble gas ion beam erosion

The erosion of target materials with energetic ions can lead to the formation of patterns on the surface. During low-energy (?2000 eV) noble gas (Ne⁺, Ar⁺, Kr⁺, Xe⁺) ion beam erosion of silicon surfaces dot patterns evolve on the surface. Dot structures form at oblique ion incidence of 75° with respect to surface normal, with simultaneous sample rotation, at room temperature. The lateral ordering of dots increases while the dot size remains constant with ion fluence, leading to very well ordered dot patterns for prolonged sputtering. Depending on ion beam parameters, dot nanostructures have a mean size from 25 nm up to 50 nm, and a mean height up to 15 nm. The formation of dot patterns depends on the ion/target mass ratio and on the ion energy. The temporal evolution and the lateral ordering of these nanostructures is studied using scanning force microscopy (AFM).     

Ion beam induced luminescence studies of LiAlO2 using negative ions

Lithium aluminate (LiAlO₂) is the candidate material for solid tritium breeder applied in the developing fusion reactors. The research of its defect behavior under ion irradiation was proceeded in the negative ions induced luminescence setup of the GIC4117 Tandem accelerator in Beijing Normal University. The ion beam induced luminescence (IBIL) measurement was performed by 20 keV H⁻ ions at room temperature. The luminescence spectra showed seven emission bands: the 4.55 eV may due to a self-trapped exciton (STE), the 4.06 eV and the 1.72 eV may due to impurity or intrinsic defect, the 3.54 eV due to F center, the 3.20 eV due to F⁺ center, the 2.93 eV due to F₂ center, the 2.30 eV due to F-center aggregates (F_n center), respectively. The intensity evolutions of each band with fluence were presented and the corresponding mechanisms were discussed.     

MeV carbon ion irradiation-induced changes in the electrical conductivity of silver nanowire networks

MeV carbon ion irradiation-induced changes in the electrical conductivity of Silver nanowire (Ag-NW) networks is demonstrated systematically at different C⁺ ion fluences ranging from 1 × 10¹² to 1 × 10¹⁶ ions/cm² at room temperature. At low C⁺ ion fluences, the electrical conductivity of Ag-NWs decreases and subsequently increases with increase fluence. Finally, at high C⁺ ion fluences, conductivity again decreases. The variation in the electrical conductivity of Ag NW network is discussed after analysis using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) techniques. The observed increase in electrical conductivity is thought to be due to ion induced coalescence of Ag-NWs at contact position, which causes reduction of wire–wire contact resistance, while the decrease in electrical conductivity may be due to defect production by C⁺ ions into Ag-NWs. Ion beam technology is therefore a very promising technology that is capable of fabricating highly conductive Ag-NW networks for transparent electrodes. Moreover, a method for thinning, slicing and cutting of Ag-NWs using ion beam technology is also reported.     

Ion induced modification in structural and magnetic properties of Pt/Cr/Co multilayers

This paper reports on the change in the magnetic and the structural properties of Pt/Cr/Co multilayers due to 1 MeV N⁺-ion irradiation at room temperature. We observe irradiation induced formation of the CoCrPt ternary alloy phase at a fluence of 1×10¹⁶ ions cm^?2. Phase formation is accompanied by an enhancement in the coercivity. The enhancement in the coercivity is attributed to inhomogeneous alloying and possible mixing-induced strain. These findings are explained in the light of ion beam induced recoil mixing and ionization events.     

低能离子注入形成氮化硅薄膜特性的研究

低能离子束与表面相互作用主要呈现溅射、注入等现象。本文研究了在1.35keVN₂⁺离子注入形成氮化硅的特性,并研究了注入和溅射的并存过程。在高剂量、低能(<10keV)注入的情况下,提出了有效剂量的概念,并建立了刻蚀速率、射程与有效注入剂量的关系。还用俄歇电子能谱(AES)、X射线光电子能谱(XPS)、透射电子显微镜(TEM)、背散射分析(RBS)测定了薄膜的有关特性。 关键词：     

Efficiently visible and 2 μm infrared emission in K2YbF5: Ce3+/Ho3+ microcrystals

Ho³⁺/Ce³⁺ co-doped K₂YbF₅ microcrystals were synthesized by solvent-thermal method. Under excitation of 980 nm laser diode, effectively visible and 2 μm-infrared luminescence of Ho³⁺ ion were obtained in the microcrystals. By changing Ce³⁺-ion doping concentration, the luminescence properties of visible and 2 μm emission were effectively regulated. At low Ce³⁺-ion doping level, the red and green upconversion emission obviously increases and decreases respectively with the increase of Ce³⁺-ion amount in the samples, meanwhile the intensity of 2 μm fluorescence changes very little. At high Ce³⁺-ion doping level, the intensities of the red and green emission both decrease with the increase of Ce³⁺-ion concentration, while the 2 μm emission intensity increases obviously. In the sample doped with 16% Ce³⁺ ion, the intensity of 2 μm emission is about 4.5 times that of the sample without Ce³⁺ ion, and the corresponding quantum efficiency is about 78.3%. The result is attributed to the influence of the different cross relaxation between Ho³⁺ and Ce³⁺ ion in luminescence process at low and high Ce³⁺-ion doping concentration. The corresponding luminescence mechanism and energy transfer process were discussed in detail.     

Surface modifications of PADC polymeric material by ion beam bombardment for high technology applications

Surface modification of Poly (allyl diglycol carbonate) (PADC) is induced by 150 keV Ag ions of different fluences. The pristine as well as bombarded samples were investigated by UV–Vis spectroscopy, Fourier transform-infrared analysis (FTIR) and micro-hardness tester. The variations of wettability and surface free energy were determined by the contact angle measurements. The obtained results showed that ion beam bombardment induced increase in the absorption spectra of the UV–Vis with increase of ion fluence as well. The direct and indirect optical band gap decreased from 4.2 to 3.6 eV for pristine sample to 3.2 and 2.5 eV for those bombarded with Ag ion beam at the highest fluence, respectively. Changes in chemical properties were observed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Increase in the wettability, surface free energy and work of adhesion with increase the ion fluence were observed. Ion bombardment inducing increasing in a micro-hardness surface due to the high carbon surface concentration and cross-linking effects in the polymeric chains. The bombarded PADC surfaces may find special applications to the field of the micro-electronic devices and printing process.     

Use of the direct negative Cu ion beam deposition for the control of the properties of Cu thin film

Direct metal ion beam deposition (DMIBD) technique for Cu thin film metallization is characterized. With suitable operating conditions, secondary Cu⁻ ion yield, ion/atom arrival rate ratio, ion beam energy spreads were optimized at 15%, 0.3, and 10%, respectively.After optimization of DMIBD system, the effect of Cu ion beam energy on the resistivity, adhesion strength, and surface morphology of Cu thin film was investigated. TEM micrograph shows that the film prepared at 75 eV was polycrystalline, while the film prepared at 0 eV was vertical columnar structure.As ion beam energy is increased from 25 to 75 eV, the resistivity is decreased from 6.21 to 2.09 μΩ cm, while the critical load to cause adhesion failure was increased to about 13 N at 200 eV, which is four-times higher that that of 25 eV.     

Ion-beam-assisted MBE growth of semi-spherical SiGe/Si nano-structures

Semi-spherical SiGe/Si nano-structures of a new type are presented. Epitaxial islands of 30–40 nm in base diameter and 11 nm in height and having a density of about 6×10¹⁰ cm^-2 were produced on (001) Si by molecular beam epitaxial growth of Si/Si_0.5Ge_0.5 layers with in situ implantation of 1-keV As⁺ ions. It was found by cross-section transmission electron microscopy that the islands have a complicated inner structure and consist of a micro-twin nucleus and semi-spherical nano-layers of various SiGe compositions. The nature of the surface patterning is interpreted by stress relaxation through implantation-induced defects. Received: 12 July 2001 / Accepted: 4 September 2001 / Published online: 2 October 2001     

AES analysis of nitridation of Si(100) by 2–10 keV N+2 ion beams

Ion beam nitridation of Si(100) as a function of N⁺₂ ion energy in the range of 2–10 keV has been investigated by in-situ Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) analysis and Ar⁺ depth profiling. The AES measurements show that the nitride films formed by 4–10 keV N⁺₂ ion bombardment are relatively uniform and have a composition of near stoichiometric silicon nitride (Si₃N₄), but that formed by 2 keV N⁺₂ ion bombardment is N-rich on the film surface. Formation of the surface N-rich film by 2 keV N⁺₂ ion bombardment can be attributed to radiation-enhanced diffusion of interstitial N atoms and a lower self-sputtering yield. AES depth profile measurements indicate that the thicknesses of nitride films appear to increase with ion energy in the range from 2 to 10 keV and the rate of increase of film thickness is most rapid in the 4–10 keV range. The nitridation reaction process which differs from that of low-energy (< 1 keV) N⁺₂ ion bombardment is explained in terms of ion implantation, physical sputtering, chemical reaction and radiation-enhanced diffusion of interstitial N atoms.     

Pt interlayer effects on Ni germanosilicide formation and contact properties

Ni and Ni(Pt) germanosilicide formation and their contact properties on n-type epitaxial Si_0.84Ge_0.16 have been studied in this work. It is revealed that compared to NiSi, NiSiGe has enhanced phase stability but worse morphology stability. It is also found that Pt incorporation in germanosilicidation improves the morphology of the germanosilicide film. The Schottky contact characteristics of NiSiGe and Ni(Pt)SiGe on n-SiGe were evaluated by current–voltage (I–V) technique at room temperature. NiSiGe/n-SiGe contact shows a Schottky barrier height (SBH) of 0.65 eV with little difference from that of NiSi/n-Si contact. However, the contact shows a reduced SBH with a markedly increased ideality factor and leakage current when annealing temperature increases to 650 °C, indicating thermal degradation of the contact quality. Pt incorporation increases the SBH to 0.73 eV. In addition, its diode parameters such as SBH, ideality factor, and reverse leakage show better conformity during the whole annealing temperature range (from 450 to 650 °C). Therefore, it is concluded that Pt interlayer between Ni and SiGe can modulate the barrier height of Ni germanosilicide and improve its contact properties.     

Structural and electrical analysis of S ion bombarded p-InP(1 0 0)

The chemical state of sulfur and surface structure on low-energy S⁺ ion-treated p-InP(1 0 0) surface have been investigated by high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and low-energy electron diffraction (LEED). S⁺ ion energy over the range of 10-100 eV was used to study the effect of ion energy on surface damage and the process of sulfur passivation on p-InP(1 0 0) by S⁺ ion beam bombardment. It was found that sulfur species formed on the S⁺ ion-treated surface. The S⁺ ions with energy above 50 eV were more effective in formation of In-S species, which assisted the InP surface in reconstruction into an ordered (1 × 1) structure upon annealing. After taking into account physical damage due to the process of ion bombardment, we found that 50 eV was the optimal ion energy to form In-S species in the sulfur passivation of p-InP(1 0 0). The subsequent annealing process removed donor states that were introduced during the ion bombardment of p-InP(1 0 0). Results of theoretical simulations by Transport of Ions in Materials (TRIM) are in accordance with those of experiments.     

Calibration of CR-39 with atomic force microscope for the measurement of short range tracks from proton-induced target fragmentation reactions

We studied the track response of CR-39 plastic nuclear track detectors (PNTD) for low (<6 MeV/n) and high (>100 MeV/n) energy heavy ions using the atomic force microscope (AFM). CR-39 PNTD was exposed to several heavy ion beams of different energy at HIMAC (Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator in Chiba). For AFM measurement, the amount of bulk etch was controlled to be ∼2 μm in order to avoid etching away of short range tracks. The response data obtained by AFM for ∼2 μm bulk etch was in good agreement with data obtained by the conventional optical microscope analysis for larger bulk etch. The response data from low energy beams (stopping near the surface) was also consistent with the data from high energy beams (penetrating the detector) as a function of REL (restricted energy loss) with the δ-ray cut off energy of ω₀ = 200 eV. We experimentally verified that REL (ω₀ = 200 eV) gives a universal function for wide energy range in CR-39 PNTD. This work has been done as part of a basic study in the measurement of secondary short range tracks produced by target fragmentation reactions in proton cancer therapy fields.     

An in-depth investigation into the temperature dependence of the mass spectra of an Au82Si18 liquid metal field emitter

The mass spectra of the beam emitted by a Au₈₂Si₁₈ eutectic molten metal ion source are investigated in detail as a function of emitter temperature. At the conclusion of the work it emerges that while Au⁺, Si⁺, and Si⁺⁺ are the result of direct field-evaporation from the liquid surface, Au⁺⁺ forms by the post-ionisation of Au⁺. Cluster ions are most probably the product of droplet break-up. PACS  07.77.Ka; 32.10.Bi; 61.25.Mv     

Swift heavy ion beam mixing at V/Si interface

Vanadium silicides are of increasing interest because of applications in high temperature superconductivity and in microelectronics as contact materials due to their good electrical conductivity. In the present work ion beam induced mixing at Si/V/Si interface has been investigated using 120 MeV Au ions at 1 × 10¹³ to 1 × 10¹⁴ ions/cm² fluence at room temperature. V/Si interface was characterized by Grazing Incidence X-Ray Diffraction (GIXRD), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry (RBS) and Cross-sectional Transmission Electron Microscopy (XTEM) techniques before and after irradiation. It was found that the atomic mixing width increases with ion fluence. GIXRD and RBS investigations confirm the formation of V₆Si₅ silicide phase at the interface at the highest ion irradiation dose.     

Room-temperature deposition of transparent conductive Al-doped ZnO thin films using low energy ion bombardment

Al-doped zinc oxide (AZO) films are prepared on quartz substrates by dual-ion-beam sputtering deposition at room temperature (∼25°C). An assisting argon ion beam (ion energy E _i =0–300 eV) directly bombards the substrate surface to modify the properties of AZO films. The effects of assisted-ion beam energy on the characteristics of AZO films were investigated in terms of X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy, Raman spectra, Hall measurement and optical transmittance. With increasing assisting-ion beam bombardment, AZO films have a strong improved crystalline quality and increased radiation damage such as oxygen vacancies and zinc interstitials. The lowest resistivity of 4.9×10⁻³Ω cm and highest transmittance of above 85% in the visible region were obtained under the assisting-ion beam energy 200 eV. It was found that the bandgap of AZO films increased from 3.37 to 3.59 eV when the assisting-ion beam energy increased from 0 to 300 eV.     

EBIT as a versatile experimental facility

The Electron Beam Ion Trap (EBIT) produces ions, confined within the electron beam, with charges ranging up to U⁹²⁺ at near rest energies. This allows to study the interaction of a monoenergetic electron beam with any trapped ion to a high degree of precision via X-ray spectroscopy. The development of the EBIT into an ion (trap) source enables the possibility to perform for the first time studies of the interaction dynamics in strong fields of ions with matter where the ions carry hundreds of keV potential energy at very low kinetic energies (eV).     

Characterization of ion species of silicon oxide films using positive and negative secondary ion mass spectra

Secondary ion species of silicon oxide films have been investigated using time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS). Characterization of thermally grown SiO₂ films on silicon has been performed. A diagram showing secondary ion spectra of SiO₂ films in both positive and negative polarities indicates the pattern of change in polarities and intensities of ion species from SiO⁺ to Si₅O₁₁⁻. The ions mostly change from positive to negative polarity between Si_nO_2n−1 and Si_nO_2n. Ion peaks with the strongest intensities in the respective cluster ions correspond to the Si_nO_2n+1 negative ion. Intensities of ion species of Si_nO_2n+2 appear negligibly small. Ion species of Si₃O⁺, Si₃O₂⁺ and Si₃O₃⁺ have been found at the interface between silicon and SiO₂ films. The intensity patterns of these ion species compared to those of SiO₂ films indicate that most of these species are not emitted from the SiO₂ films, but likely from the SiO structures.