Activation energies for light ions in ion beam induced epitaxial crystallization

Activation energies of ion beam induced epitaxial crystallization (IBIEC) of Si have been measured for B, C and O ions at 0.7 or 3 MeV at temperatures 150-400°C. An activation energy for B was measured to be 0.26 eV in the range 250-400°C. This value was smaller than those for heavier ions Ge (0.28 eV) and Au (0.37 eV). Activation energies for B, C and O ions in the range of 150-400°C were found to be temperature dependent, where activation energies separately calculated for two temperature regimes varied from 0.18 to 0.37 eV. Results suggest that the ion beam induced epitaxial crystallization cannot be characterized by a single activation energy and several types of defect are involved in crystal growth.