Formation of cubic silicon carbide layers on silicon under the action of continuous and pulsed carbon ion beams

The structure and infrared absorption of cubic silicon carbide (beta-SiC) layers produced by the continuous high-dose implantation of carbon ions (C+) into silicon (E = 40 keV and D = 5 x 10(17) cm(-2)), followed by the processing of the implanted layers with a high-power nanosecond pulsed ion beam (C+, tau = 50 ns, E = 300 keV, and W = 1.0-1.5 J/cm(2)), are investigated. Transmission electron microscopy and electron diffraction data indicate the formation of a coarse-grained polycrystalline beta-SiC layer with grain sizes of up to 100 nm. A characteristic feature of such a layer is the dendritic surface morphology, which is explained by crystallization from the melt supercooled well below the melting point of beta-SiC. (C) 2003 MAIK Nauka / Interperiodica.