Low-temperature damage formation in ion-implanted SiC and its correlation with primary energy deposition

• Damage evolution is studied in SiC ion implanted and measured at 15 K.
• Direct ion impacts and stimulated growth of damage result in complete amorphisation.
• The damage cross-sections are related to the energies deposited in primary processes.
• The same empirical formula is found as proposed for III–V compounds ion implanted.

4H-SiC was implanted with He+, B+ and Mg+ ions over a wide range of ion fluences at 15 K. Damage analysis was performed with Rutherford backscattering spectrometry in channelling configuration. Cross-sections of direct-impact-damage formation and stimulated growth of damage were extracted by fitting model curves to the maximum damage concentration versus the ion fluence. These cross-sections are related to quantities representing the primary energies deposited in the displacement of lattice atoms and in electronic interactions by empirical formulas. The empirical dependences found are in agreement with the empirical model previously proposed for III–V compounds ion implanted at 15 K. This suggests that at this temperature thermal effects can be widely excluded and universal dependences seem to exist.