Damage effects produced in the near-surface region of x-cut LiNbO3 by low dose, high energy implantation of nitrogen, oxygen, and fluorine ions

The damage effects produced in the near-surface region of x-cut LiNbO3 by low dose, high energy implantation of carbon, nitrogen, oxygen, and fluorine ions are investigated as a function of the dose and substrate temperature during the implant process. The damage profiles were obtained by the Rutherford backscattering RBS-channeling technique, whereas the compositional profiles were performed by secondary ion mass spectrometry. The experimental results showed that the mechanisms governing the damage formation at the surface are strongly connected to the interaction of defects produced when the electronic energy loss exceeds a given threshold close to 220 eV/Å. In particular, we observed a damage pileup compatible with a growth of three-dimensional defect clusters.