Crystal recovery from Al-implantation induced damaging in 3C-SiC films

Damaging in Al-implanted 3C-SiC and subsequent crystal recovery due to thermal treatments up to 1350 degrees C are evaluated by X-ray diffraction and micro-Raman spectroscopy. Reciprocal space mapping of (004) 3C-SiC planes shows a low-intensity implantation-induced secondary peak at higher interplanar spacing in the as-implanted 3C-SiC sample, with a generated misfit between the implanted and the epitaxial region of about 0.6%. Increasing the annealing temperature from 950 degrees C to 1350 angstrom C, the secondary peak is gradually re-absorbed within the epitaxial 3C-SiC reciprocal lattice point. Finally, the disappearance of the secondary peak after a 1350 degrees C thermal treatment is observed. Thus, implantation-induced average strain, resulting in a severe 3C-SiC deforma- tion, has been totally relieved at the highest annealing temperature.