Formation of Cu nanoparticles in GaAs using MeV ion implantation followed by thermal annealing

Analytical electron microscopy, high-resolution X-ray diffraction and combined Rutherford backscattering spectrometry and channeling experiments have been used to investigate the radiation damage and the effect of post-implantation annealing on the microstructure of GaAs(100) single crystals implanted with 1.00 MeV Cu⁺ ions to a dose of ≈ 3×10¹⁶ cm^-2 at room temperature. The experiments reveal the formation of a thick and continuous amorphous layer in the as-implanted state. Annealing up to 600 °C for 60 min does not result in the complete recovery of the lattice order. The residual disorder in GaAs has been found to be mostly microtwins and stacking fault bundles. The redistribution of implanted atoms during annealing results in the formation of nano-sized Cu particles in the GaAs matrix. The X-ray diffraction result shows a cube-on-cube orientation of the Cu particles with the GaAs lattice. The depth distribution and size of the Cu particles have been determined from the experimental data. A tentative explanation for these results is presented. Received: 15 February 1999 / Accepted: 18 February 1999 / Published online: 28 April 1999