Microstructural characterisation of metal ion implanted silicon nitride

The microstructure of silicon nitride after metal ion implantation at diffe rent dosages has been studied. A metal vapour vacuum are (MEVVA) ion source was employed to implant Ni, Ti and Ni+Ti ions into silicon nitride. Charac terisation of the implanted surfaces was carried out by Rutherford backscat tering spectrometry (RBS) and cross-sectional transmission electron microsc opy (XTEM), in conjunction with nano-beam electron diffraction (NBED) analy sis. It was established that the thickness of the implanted layer was in th e range of 210-280 nm, depending on implantation species and energy. Titani um or nickel implantation under present conditions resulted in the formatio n of an amorphous layer and precipitation of titanium or nickel nitrides, H owever, when Ti and Ni were both implanted successively at half the total d ose, the modified layer was fully amorphised with no evidence of precipitat ion. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.