Effect of energy deposition on the disordering kinetics in dual-ion beam irradiated single-crystalline GaAs Available to Purchase

The damage induced in GaAs crystals irradiated with dual-ion beam (low-energy I²⁺ and high-energy Fe⁹⁺), producing simultaneous nuclear (S_n) and electronic (S_e) energy depositions, was investigated using several characterization techniques. Analysis of the damage buildup shows that S_n alone (single 900 keV ion beam) leads, in a two-step process, to full amorphization of the irradiated layer (at a fluence of 1.5 nm⁻²) and to the development of a high (2.2%) elastic strain. Conversely, only one step in the disordering process is observed upon dual-ion beam irradiation (i.e., 900 keV I²⁺ and 27 MeV Fe⁹⁺, S_n&S_e); hence, amorphization is prevented and the elastic strain remains very weak (below 0.2%). These results provide a strong evidence that, in GaAs, the electronic energy deposition can induce an efficient dynamic annealing of the damage created in collision cascades formed during nuclear energy deposition.