Quantifying Implantation-Induced Damage and Point Defects with Multislice Electron Ptychography.

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Solid State Physics
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Ion implantation is crucial for semiconductor device fabrication.
• Understanding crystal damage is vital for optimizing electronic device performance.
• Erbium (Er) implantation in 4H-SiC is used for optoelectronic applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify crystal damage induced by Er ion implantation in 4H-SiC.
• To compare experimental damage with simulation predictions.
• To investigate the potential of detecting and analyzing defects like silicon vacancies.

Main Methods:

• Multislice electron ptychography was employed to reconstruct 3D volumes of implanted 4H-SiC.
• Experimental data was compared with pristine SiC and simulation results.
• Simulations were used to understand the impact of static displacements on defect detection.

Main Results:

• Crystal damage was quantified up to a depth of 100 nm, deeper than predicted by simulations that ignored crystallography.
• Implantation-induced static displacements were found to hinder the detection of Er dopants and silicon vacancies.
• Silicon vacancies were identified beyond 100 nm depth and used to measure local strain.

Conclusions:

• Multislice electron ptychography is a powerful technique for quantifying ion implantation damage in materials.
• Experimental findings highlight discrepancies with crystallographic-ignoring simulations, necessitating refined models.
• The detection of silicon vacancies offers insights into strain and aids in optimizing electronic device processes.