Amorphous zone evolution in Si during elevated temperature ion bombardment

Evolution of amorphous zones (a-zones) in Si during elevated temperature ion/electron bombardment is considered. Consideration is based on a point defect diffusion model for the ion-beam-induced amorphous-crystalline (a/c) phase transformation in Si. Direct thermal annealing and an additional interfacial driving force for crystallization are taken into account. The problem of a-zone size distribution during ion bombardment is addressed and solved for a particular annealing situation. Possible experiments necessary to test this theoretical treatment are proposed. This formalism can also be applied to describe damage build-up in Si during ion bombardment.