Annealing kinetics of nanoindentation-induced polycrystalline high pressure phases in crystalline silicon

Abstract

Transformation kinetics of nanoindented zones in silicon containing high pressure crystalline phases (Si III and Si XII) during annealing (100 °C<T<450 °C) have been studied using Raman microspectroscopy and cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy. Signature peaks associated with Si III/XII in the Raman spectra were monitored to track the annealing of these phases to polycrystalline Si I as a function of annealing time and temperature. An overall activation energy for this transformation was found to be 0.67 eV. During annealing, Si XII disappeared faster than Si III, suggesting either that Si XII first converts to Si III or that Si XII transforms to polycrystalline Si I faster than Si III.