Published online by Cambridge University Press: 03 September 2012
We present a new approach for investigating the kinetics of defect migration during annealing of low-;energy, ion-implanted silicon, employing a combination of computer simulations and atomic-resolution tunneling microscopy. Using atomically-clean Si(111)-7×7 as a sink for bulk point defects created by 5 keV Xe and Ar irradiation, we observe distinct, temperature-;dependent surface arrival rates for vacancies and interstitials. A combination of simulation tools provides a detailed description of the processes that underly the observed temperature-dependence of defect segregation, and the predictions of the simulations agree closely with the experimental observations.