Substitutionality of Ge atoms in ion implanted AlSb

The substitution of Ge atoms into ion implanted AlSb is investigated by extended x-ray absorption fine structure spectroscopy. Our results reveal that in the as-implanted material, the implanted Ge atoms are equally distributed between two specific sites, one surrounded by Al atoms and the other surrounded by Sb atoms. After annealing at 750°C for 5 s, the coordination number of the Ge atoms increases from ∼3 to ∼4 indicating solid phase regrowth of the implantation induced amorphous surface layer. Moreover, in the annealed AlSb, the substitution of Ge atoms into the Al sublattice dominates with an estimated [Ge_Al]:[Ge_Sb]∼0.8:0.2. These results suggest that Ge atoms act preferentially as donor species in AlSb.