Radiation-induced damage and recrystallization of amorphized alpha-SiC by MeV Ni and Au implantation

The radiation-induced damage and its thermal annealing behavior are investigated for alpha-SiC(0001) implanted with 1.0 MeV Ni and 1.3 MeV Au ions at room temperature. The Ni and Au ions were implanted in the range of 1.8 x 10(13)similar to 1.8 x 10(17) cm(-2), and 3.6 x 10(12)similar to 3.6 x 10(14) cm(-2), respectively. It is found that the critical fluence for amorphization depends on the atomic number of irradiated ions. A drastic recrystallization of the amorphized layer and a diffusion of implanted atoms toward the surface were observed during 1500 degrees C annealing.