X-ray and luminescent analysis of finely dispersed β-FeSi2 films formed in Si by pulsed ion-beam treatment

Abstract

Finely dispersed β-FeSi2 films were formed by implanting Fe+ ions with an energy of 40 keV and a dose of 1×1016 cm−2 in Si single crystals, followed by nanosecond pulsed ion-beam treatment. The results of glancing incidence x-ray diffraction indicate the formation of a highly grain-oriented film consisting of inclusions of the iron disilicide phase (β-FeSi2) with a grain size of approximately 40 nm surrounded by a polycrystalline Si matrix. The photoluminescence spectroscopy data reveal that the photoluminescence signal with a peak around 1.56 µm, which is observed up to 210 K, is associated with direct interband transitions in β-FeSi2 and not with the contribution from the dislocation-induced line D1.