Evidence of enhanced epitaxial crystallization at low temperature by inelastic electronic scattering of mega-electron-volt heavy-ion-beam irradiation - Reply

Enhanced epitaxial crystallization by mega-electron-volt (MeV) heavy-ion-beam irradiation cannot be explained only by the diffusion-limited model. The validity of data showing the absence of dose rate effect on MeV ion-beam-induced epitaxial crystallization (IBIEC) rate is examined in relation to the self-ion-beam annealing effect in MeV As+-ion-beam irradiation in the crystalline Si substrate. The reliability of the experimental results showing the critical thickness dependence in the diffusion-limited model is discussed in detail. It is pointed out that there is room to question the existence of critical thickness. Two guidelines for constructing an accurate IBIEC model are proposed. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.