Field induced decrystallization of silicon: Evidence of a microwave non-thermal effect
Abstract
It is rather strange and not fully understood that some materials decrystallize when exposed to microwave radiation, and it is still debatable if such a transformation is a thermal or non-thermal effect. We hereby report experimental evidences that weight the latter effect. First, a single crystal silicon wafer exposed to microwaves showed strong decrystallization at high temperature. Second, when some areas of the wafer were masked with metal coating, only the exposed areas underwent decrystallization. Transmission electron microscopy analysis, x-ray diffraction data, and thermal conductivity measurements all indicated strong decrystallization, which occurred in the bulk of the material and was not a surface effect. These observations favor the existence of a non-thermal microwave effect.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Feb 26, 2018
- Source ID
- 10.1063/1.5020192
Entities
People
- Amin Nozariasbmarz
- Daryoosh Vashaee
- Kelvin Dsouza
Organizations
- Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- National Science Foundation
- North Carolina State University