Determination of the Threshold Energy of Noble Gas Defects in Silicon Created by Ion Beam Etching

Abstract

Using photoluminescence we investigate defects introduced into silicon by ion beam etching. The luminescence spectra show the presence of various defects known from radiation damage studies. Ion-beam milling with different noble gas ions produces a family of defects which gives rise to almost identical photoluminescence spectra. The intensity of the Ar noble gas defect luminescence is studied for different ion-beam energies (200-2000eV) and crystal orientations. The threshold energy to create this defect leads to a model of the defect structure.