Structural damage resulting from the implantation of 5 keV B+ ions into FZ-
Si has been investigated by positron annihilation spectroscopy (PAS) using
a tuneable monoenergetic beam. Four samples, exposed to ion fluences from 2
x 10(12) to 2 x 10(15) cm(-2), were studied. The PAS results demonstrate t
he applicability of the technique to the study of vacancy-type defects in s
mall-scale device structures created by very low-energy ion implantation. I
on depth profiles determined by SIMS exhibited tails extending well beyond
the limit predicted by the code TRIM, attributed to ion channelling. PAS, w
hen extended by repeated measurements after precise etching of 40 and 140 n
m of material via anodic oxidation, showed that the vacancy-type defect dep
th profiles also extended far beyond the limit predicted by TRIM. The ratio
of defects to ions increases with depth, suggesting that the defect tails
are not simply correlated to the implanted ions but that there may also be
a contribution from post-implantation defect diffusion.