End of range defects in Ge

We show that the solid-phase epitaxial regrowth of amorphous layers created by ion implantation in Ge results in the formation of extended defects of interstitial-type. During annealing, these defects evolve in size and density following, as in Si, an Ostwald ripening mechanism. However, this process becomes nonconservative as the annealing temperature increases to 600 °C. This suggests that the recombination/annihilation of Ge interstitial atoms becomes important at these temperatures. These results have important implications for the modeling of diffusion of implanted dopants in Ge.