AlSb Precipitate Evolution during Sb Implantation in Al: Experiment and Theory

Abstract

Precipitate evolution during ion implantation has been studied in the model system Sb-implanted Al. Transmission electron microscopy was used to determine the size distribution of AlSb crystallites as a function of fluence, flux, and sample temperature. There was a dramatic increase in average size, accompanied by a decrease in number density, for increasing fluence, for decreasing’ flux, and for increasing temperature. A new theoretical model for the evolution of the precipitate size distribution has been developed which incorporates both thermal processes and implantation effects. Numerical solutions for the AlSb system using physically realistic parameters agree qualitatively with the experimentally observed evolutions.