Research on the surface damage of Si plus and H plus co-implanted 6H-SiC before and after annealing

6 MeV Si ions with fluences of 2 x 1016 ions/cm2 and 400 keV H ions with fluences of 5 x 1016 ions/cm2 implantation experiments were performed for single-crystal 6H-SiC samples. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to characterize the evolutions of the surface damage and internal microstructure of these irradiated 6H-SiC samples before and after annealing. Bumps were observed on the surface of the Si+ ions irradiated samples after annealing. The internal damage caused by irradiation recovered well after annealing, and the peak damage zone disappeared after the 1200 degrees C annealing process. Circular bubbles occurred on the surface of the H+ ions irradiated samples, which peeled off after annealing. The morphology and distribution of bubbles and spalling on the Si+-H+ dual ion beam irradiated sample surface were more irregular as the more severe damage induced by the pre-implanted Si ions hindered the aggregation and migration of hydrogen atoms.

Automated summary

Implantation experiments were conducted on single-crystal 6H-SiC samples using 6 MeV Si ions and 400 keV H ions, and the evolutions of surface damage and internal microstructure were characterized using SEM and TEM. Bumps were observed on the surface of Si+ irradiated samples after annealing, while circular bubbles appeared on the surface of H+ irradiated samples. The internal damage caused by irradiation recovered well after annealing, and the morphology and distribution of bubbles and spalling on the Si+-H+ dual ion beam irradiated sample surface were more irregular due to the more severe damage induced by pre-implanted Si ions.