Thermal recovery of amorphous zones in 6H-SiC and 3C-SiC induced by low fluence 420 keV Xe irradiation

In the present work, the formation of amorphous zones in 6H-SiC and 3C-SiC by low fluence (4×108 to 1×1012 cm−2) 420 keV Xe implantation at room temperature is investigated with positron beam analysis (PBA). By relating the fraction of positrons annihilating in amorphous zones obtained by PBA to stopping and range of ions in matter calculations in combination with a local damage level criterion for amorphization, the amorphous zones are characterized. Furthermore, the recovery by annealing of 6H-SiC after implantation with 2 different ion fluences (2×1010 and 2×1011 cm−2) is studied with PBA and a model assuming shrinkage of amorphous zones.