Damage Response to Irradiation Temperature and Ion Fluence In C+-Irradiated 6H-SiC

Abstract

AbstractIrradiation experiments have been performed 60° off the surface normal for 6H-SiC single crystals at various temperatures (185-870 K) using 550 keV C+ ions over a fluence range from 1×1018 to 5×109 ions/m2. Atomic disorder on the Si sublattice, as determined by in-situ RBS/channeling analysis, ranged from dilute defects to complete amorphization. The critical amorphization dose of ∼0.23 dpa (on the Si sublattice) at 185 K has been determined. Asymmetric shapes in angular yield profiles across the crystallographic axis <0001> emerged above 1.5×1019 C−/m2 (∼0.05 dpa in the near-surface region), which might be associated with the lattice disturbance in the crystal structure. A gradual decrease in half-angular width was observed with the increase of ion fluence in the experiment. The minimum yield exhibits a rather linear relationship with ion dose at the surface. Post-irradiation annealing at the irradiation temperature did not result in measurable recovery for fluences ranging from 4 × 1018 to 2×1019 C+/m2 at 300, 470 and 670 K. Results also show that low fluence (<8×1018 C+/m2) irradiation at 185 K followed by thermal annealing results in similar defect concentrations to irradiation at that same temperature to the same ion fluence. Thus, at low fluences, the accumulated defects are in thermal equilibrium with the structure.