Ion-bombardment-enhanced grain growth in germanium, silicon, and gold thin films

Journal Article · Thu Sep 01 04:00:00 EDT 1988 · J. Appl. Phys.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.341665· OSTI ID:6978370

Atwater, H A; Thompson, C V; Smith, H I

Grain growth has been studied in polycrystalline thin films of Ge, Si, and Au during ion bombardment. The phenomenon has been characterized by varying the ion dose, ion energy, ion flux, ion species, substrate temperature, and thin-film deposition conditions. Films bombarded with Si/sup +/, Ar/sup +/, Ge/sup +/, Kr/sup +/, and Xe/sup +/ exhibited enhanced grain growth which was weakly temperature dependent and proportional to the energy deposited in elastic collisions at or very near grain boundaries. The effect of these parameters on grain size and microstructure was analyzed both qualitatively and quantitatively using transmission electron microscopy. A transition state model describing the motion of grain boundaries during ion bombardment has been applied to the present experimental data. The results suggest that bombardment-enhanced grain growth may be due to thermal migration of bombardment-generated defects across the boundary. The calculated defect yield per incident ion was found to be directly related to enhanced grain growth, and was used to estimate the number of atomic jumps at the grain boundary per defect generated. Grain growth rates during bombardment and thermal annealing were related to their respective point defect populations.

• Research Organization: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139
• OSTI ID: 6978370
• Journal Information: J. Appl. Phys.; (United States), Journal Name: J. Appl. Phys.; (United States) Vol. 64:5; ISSN JAPIA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360106 -- Metals & Alloys-- Radiation Effects
360605* -- Materials-- Radiation Effects
ARGON IONS
CHARGED PARTICLES
COLLISIONS
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
ELEMENTS
FILMS
GERMANIUM
GERMANIUM IONS
GOLD
GRAIN GROWTH
ION COLLISIONS
IONS
KRYPTON IONS
METALS
MICROSCOPY
MICROSTRUCTURE
PHYSICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIATION EFFECTS
SEMIMETALS
SILICON
SILICON IONS
THIN FILMS
TRANSITION ELEMENTS
TRANSMISSION ELECTRON MICROSCOPY
XENON IONS