Ion implantation of Cd and Ag into AlN and GaN

GaN and AlN thin films were implanted with cadmium (Cd) or silver (Ag), to fluences ranging from 1x10(13) to 1.7 x 10(15) at/cm(2). The implanted samples were annealed at 950 degrees C under flowing nitrogen. While implantation damage could be fully removed for the lowest fluences, for higher fluences the crystal quality was only partially recovered. For the high fluence samples the lattice site location of the ions was studied by Rutherford Backscattering/channelling (RBS/C). Cd ions are found to be incorporated in substitutional cation sites (Al or Ga) while Ag is slightly displaced from this position. To further investigate the incorporation sites, Perturbed Angular Correlation (PAC) measurements were performed and the electric field gradients at the site of the probe nuclei were determined. (C) 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim