Structural modification of swift heavy ion irradiated amorphous Ge layers
Date
2009
Authors
Wesch, Werner
Schnohr, Claudia
Kluth, Patrick
Hussain, Zohair
Araujo, Leandro
Giulian, Raquel
Sprouster, David
Byrne, Aidan
Ridgway, Mark C
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Institute of Physics Publishing
Abstract
Swift heavy ion (SHI) irradiation of amorphous Si (a-Si) at non-perpendicular incidence leads to non-saturable plastic flow. The positive direction of flow suggests that a liquid phase of similar density to that of the amorphous solid must exist and accordingly a-Si behaves like a conventional glass under SHI irradiation. For room-temperature irradiation of a-Si, plastic flow is accompanied by swelling due to the formation of voids and a porous structure. For this paper, we have investigated the influence of SHI irradiation at room temperature on amorphous Ge (a-Ge), the latter produced by ion implantation of crystalline Ge substrates. Like a-Si, positive plastic flow is apparent, demonstrating that liquid polymorphism is common to these two semiconductors. Porosity is also observed, again confined to the amorphous phase and the result of electronic energy deposition. Enhanced plastic flow coupled with a volume expansion is clearly responsible for the structural modification of both a-Si and a-Ge irradiated at room temperature with swift heavy ions.
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Keywords: Amorphous phase; Amorphous Si; Amorphous solids; Crystalline Ge; Electronic energy deposition; Liquid Phase; Liquid polymorphism; Porous structures; Room temperature; SHI irradiation; Structural modifications; Swift heavy ions; Volume expansion; Chemical
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Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics
Type
Journal article
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2037-12-31
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