A nuclear reaction analysis and optical microscopy study on controlled growth of large SiC nanocrystals on Si formed by low-energy ion implantation and electron beam annealing

Ion implantation of 20 keV 12C+ ions into (1 0 0), p-type silicon with ion fluence of 8 × 1016 at. cm−2 followed by an electron beam annealing under high vacuum conditions has been performed to investigate the formation of crystalline nano-scale SiC features on the silicon surface. Depending on the implantation and annealing conditions, the SiC nanocrystal numbers and average spacing can be controlled by adjusting the implantation and annealing conditions. Typically 300–1000 SiC nanocrystals are produced per 1000 μm2 spaced 0.7–1.2 ± 0.1 μm. Nuclear reaction analysis measurements using the deuterium induced 12C(d, p)13C reaction show that carbon is present in the implanted and annealed samples and varies only to a small degree by the annealing time. However, by not using a liquid nitrogen trap surrounding the targets during implantation, the carbon contamination on the surface reduces the number of SiC nanocrystals and increases their average distance. Specific results are discussed.