Experimental Conditions Required to Achieve Low-Power Pulsed-Laser Annealing of Implanted GaAs

The experimental conditions necessary to obtain low-power pulsed-laser annealing (LPPLA) of implanted samples of GaAs are described. Simple theoretical estimates have been used to show that the sample's temperature evolution is such that it does not produce appreciable GaAs decomposition. Particular attention is paid to the spatial distribution of the energy over the laser beam cross section and the optical system used in the experiments. It is also pointed out that below the melting threshold, but above the upper limit of the energy window, within which the LPPLA is obtained, a structural disorder of the material is induced by the laser itself.