Thermal regrowth of Si(100) damaged by Ne, Ar, and Xe ion bombardment

Thermally induced regrowth of Si(100) after ion sputtering with 3 keV Ne, Ar, and Xe ions has been studied with angle resolved photoemission. Significant differences are found in the regrowth, depending on the kind of ions used for the sputtering. While the Ne sputtered surface was fully recovered after annealing at 750°C, the Ar and Xe treated surfaces remained disordered after such treatment. It is concluded that Ne ion bombardment induces a different defect system than that obtained after bombardment with Ar or Xe ions at the same energy.