Solid phase epitaxy of amorphous silicon carbide: Ion fluence dependence

We have investigated the effect of radiation damage and impurity concentration on solid phase epitaxial growth of amorphous silicon carbide (SiC) as well as microstructures of recrystallized layer using transmission electron microscopy. Single crystals of 6H-SiC with (0001) orientation were irradiated with 150 keV Xe ions to fluences of 10(15) and 10(16) /cm(2), followed by annealing at 890degreesC. Full epitaxial recrystallization took place in a specimen implanted with 10(15) Xe ions, while retardation of recrystallization was observed in a specimen implanted with 10(16) /cm(2) Xe ions. Atomic pair-distribution function analyses and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy results suggested that the retardation of recrystallization of the 10(16) Xe/cm(2) implanted sample is attributed to the difference in amorphous structures between the 10(15) and 10(16) Xe/cm(2) implanted samples, i.e., more chemically disordered atomistic structure and higher Xe impurity concentration in the 10(16) Xe/cm(2) implanted sample. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.