Very low temperature (<400 °C) silicon molecular beam epitaxy: The role of low energy ion irradiation

Concurrent low energy (50–70 eV) ion irradiation during silicon molecular beam epitaxy results in an increased epitaxial thickness at very low temperatures relative to conventional molecular beam epitaxy. Ion irradiation of a (1×1) dihydride-terminated Si(001) results in a (2×1) reconstruction, indicating irradiation-induced hydrogen desorption. Conventional molecular beam epitaxial growth is possible on a dihydride-terminated Si(001) surface following (2×1) reconstruction such that the substrate temperature never exceeds 150 °C; which is not possible without irradiation.