Impact of implantation geometry and fluence on structural properties of AlxGa1-xN implanted with thulium

Abstract

AlxGa1-xN (x = 0.15 and 0.77) films, grown by halide vapor phase epitaxy, were implanted with 300 keV Tm ions. Implantation damage accumulation is investigated with Rutherford backscattering spectrometry/channeling (RBS/C), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and high resolution X-ray diffraction (XRD). Distinct damage behavior for samples with different AlN contents was found. Surface nanocrystallization occurs for samples with x = 0.15, similar to implantation effects observed in GaN. Samples with x = 0.77 approach the behavior of AlN. In particular, surface nanocrystallization is suppressed and the depth range of the stacking fault network, typical for implanted III-nitrides, is decreased. The crystalline quality of the sample with x = 0.15 was investigated to compare random and channeled implantation, showing less concentration of damage but with a higher range for channeled implantation. Surprisingly, the strain field caused by the implantation reaches much deeper into the sample than the defect profiles measured by RBS/C and TEM. This is attributed to the fact that XRD is much more sensitive to low defect densities caused by ions which are channeled to deep regions of the sample.