Fe implantation effect in the 6H-SiC semiconductor investigated by Mössbauer spectrometry

Abstract : P-doped 6H-SiC substrates were implanted with $^{57}$Fe ions at 380°C or 550°C to produce a diluted magnetic semiconductor with an Fe homogeneous concentration of about 100 nm thickness. The magnetic properties were studied with $^{57}$Fe Conversion Electron Mössbauer Spectrometry at room temperature (RT). Results obtained by this technique on annealed samples prove that ferromagnetism in $^{57}$Fe-implanted SiC for Fe concentrations close to 2% and 4% is mostly due to Fe atoms diluted in the matrix. In contrast, for Fe concentrations close to 6%, it also comes from Fe in magnetic phase nano-clusters. This study allows quantifying the Fe amount in the interstitial and substi-tutional sites and the nanoparticles and shows that the majority of the diluted Fe atoms are substituted on Si sites inducing ferromagnetism up to RT. Published by AIP Publishing.