Laser- and Electron-Induced Recrystallization of Amorphous Zones in Elemental and Compound Semiconductors

Spatially isolated amorphous zones in Si, Ge, GaAs, GaP and InP were created by low dose (≈ 1011 cm−2) 50 keV Xe ion implantations. The ion‐implanted samples were subsequently irradiated with electrons or photons which induced recrystallization of amorphous zones. As the electron energy was lowered from 300 keV the crystallization rate initially decreased and reached a minimum at approximately one‐half of the threshold displacement energy. With further lowering of electron energy the crystallization rate increased, reaching a maximum at 25 keV, the lowest voltage attempted. Laser‐induced crystallization experiments using photons of energy hv = 2.33 eV at 90 and 300 K were performed on Si, Ge and GaP samples and amorphous zone regrowth was stimulated in all materials. Sub‐threshold electron‐induced and laser‐induced crystallization shows that displacive mechanisms and point defects are not required to stimulate regrowth of isolated amorphous zones but that the defects responsible for crystallization are cr...