Amorphization of Si(100) by Ar+ -ion bombardment studied with spectroscopic and time-resolved second-harmonic generation

The surface and interface sensitive technique of optical second-harmonic generation (SHG) has been applied spectroscopically and time-resolved before, during, and after low energy (70–1000 eV) Ar+-ion bombardment of H-terminated Si(100). The photon energy range of the fundamental radiation was h¿=0.76–1.14 eV. Besides physical sputtering of the silicon, ion bombardment of crystalline silicon damages and amorphizes the top layer of the sample and thereby creates a layered structure of amorphous silicon (a-Si) on crystalline silicon. The SHG radiation, which is sensitive to the Ar+-ion flux, ion energy, and the presence of reactive gas species, originates from the top surface of the sample and from the interface between a-Si and c-Si. From a comparison with the SHG results obtained at a fundamental radiation of h¿=1.3–1.7 eV, it is concluded that the SHG radiation during and after creation of this structure dominantly originates from the tails of electronic transitions in the E`0/E1 energy region rather than from silicon dangling bonds. ©2010 American Vacuum Society