Annealing of silver implanted 6H–SiC and the diffusion of the silver

Annealing and diffusion behavior of implanted silver in 6H–SiC has been investigated using Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy (RBS), channeling, Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. Silver (109Ag+) ions with an energy of 360keV were implanted in SiC to a fluence of 2×1016cm−2 at room temperature (23°C), 350 and 600°C. After implantation the samples were annealed at temperatures up to 1400°C. The results revealed that implantation at room temperature created an amorphous layer of about 270nm from the surface while implantation at 350 and 600°C retained a crystalline structure with more damage created for 350°C implantation compared to 600°C. Diffusion of implanted Ag accompanied by loss from the surface started at 1300°C in the amorphous SiC with no diffusion observed in the crystalline SiC. A new model explaining this diffusion of silver accompanied silver loss is presented.