X-RAY-ABSORPTION STUDY OF TI, CU AND FE IMPLANTED ALN

Sintered AlN ceramics were implanted by Ti, Fe and Cu ions up to 1.9 x 10(17) atoms/cm(2) at mean energies of 70-110 keV in order to investigate the role of the chemical properties of the implanted species on the phase formed during the implantation process. X-ray absorption studies were performed at room and at liquid nitrogen temperature to give information on the resulting systems and local environments of the Ti, Fe and Cu atoms. We observe the formation of TIN even for as-implanted samples, while the Cu ions aggregate to clusters. The Fe implanted samples show an intermediate behavior with both nitride formation and Fe clustering. In conclusion, the heat of formation is found to be a key parameter for the final system.