Decorated vacancy clusters in Si and thin C films grown on Si studied by depth profiling positron annihilation spectroscopies

The combined use of different depth profiling positron annihilation spectroscopies give insight on distribution, type and decoration of open-volume defects. Applications regarding defects produced in modified silicon and at the interface between deposited thin films and the silicon substrate are presented. The attention is focused on selected systems and situations potentially related to technological developments: a) identification of decorated vacancy clusters in silicon implanted by light-ion (He, He+H) and evolution of the clusters with the thermal treatments; b) release of compressive stress through vacancy-like defects formation at the interface during the growth of thin (10-200 nm thick) carbon films. (c) 2007 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.