Abstract
The damage caused by low-energy argon bombardment of silicon has been investigated by Rutherford back-scattering and transmission electron microscopy. At the doses required for sputter cleaning, gas bubbles are formed even at argon energies as low as 2 keV. The bubbles, and the argon they contain, cannot be annealed out below 1100 degrees C, although a significant amount of gas is trapped more weakly in other sites and is released at lower temperatures. The stability of the bubbles is explained in terms of the knock-in of oxygen from the native oxide during bombardment. The formation of bubbles cannot be avoided unless the angle of incidence of the argon is almost glancing.
Original language | English |
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Article number | 013 |
Pages (from-to) | 589-603 |
Number of pages | 15 |
Journal | Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics |
Volume | 19 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1986 |
Externally published | Yes |