Abstract
AlN, GaN, and InN were irradiated at room temperature with monatomic swift heavy ions and high-energy fullerenes. Ion track formation was studied using transmission electron microscopy in both plane view and cross-sectional modes. A full experimental description of ion track formation in these compounds is presented. AlN shows a remarkable resistance towards track formation; InN is the most sensitive and shows partial decomposition, likely into N2 and metallic clusters; the overlapping of the amorphous tracks in GaN does not give an amorphous layer because of a track-induced recrystallization. We discuss the application of the inelastic thermal spike model, which allows good and simple predictions of track radii in oxides, to the studied III-nitrides, and in general to semiconductors.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the GANIL and ALTO accelerators teams for providing the ion beams. M. Sall is grateful to the “Région Basse-Normandie” for its partial contribution to his Doctoral Grant.
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Sall, M., Monnet, I., Moisy, F. et al. Track formation in III-N semiconductors irradiated by swift heavy ions and fullerene and re-evaluation of the inelastic thermal spike model. J Mater Sci 50, 5214–5227 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-015-9069-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-015-9069-y