Depth profiling of SiC lattice damage using Micro-Raman spectroscopy

Depth profiling for the amount of lattice damage using a Confocal Micro-Raman (CMR) spectrometer is demonstrated in this paper. Samples of n-type silicon carbide were implanted with 2 MeV He and O ions at both room temperature and 500 degreesC, and fluences between 10(15) and 10(17) ions/cm(2). Post-implantation annealing at 1000 degreesC was also performed in order to study the damage evolution. Optical Absorption Spectrophotometry (OAS) was used for establishing the opacity (and therefore the probing depth) of the damaged layer to the 632.8 nm wavelength of the He-Ne laser used for CMR throughout this study. The methodology used and the results obtained are presented herein. Total dissipation of amorphous carbon islands was observed even at low annealing temperatures of the RT implanted samples, along with an increase in the size of the amorphous silicon islands.