The inรuence of high-energy Si' irradiation on carbon-implanted silicon at low temperature was studied. C' Ions of kinetic energy 25 keV were implanted into Si(100) at room temperature with a dose density of 1 ร 1017 ions cm-2 after amorphization of the surface region by Ge' implantation at 200 keV. Subsequently, the amorphous and substoichiometric silicon-carbon matrix was subjected to a bombardment with 300 keV Si' at 400 รC to generate ion-beam-induced epitaxial crystallization. Rutherford backscattering spectroscopy combined with channelling disclosed the migration of the recrystallization front from the underlying amorphous silicon substrate up to the carbon-rich layer in dependence on the Si' dose. Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) in combination with rotational sputter depth proรling provided detailed information about the depth-dependent composition, the di โ erent chemical states of the elements and the synthesized phases. The electron spectra reveal SiC phase formation with a corresponding electron density derived from plasmon energy losses. The plasmon-loss features in the Si LVV and spectra indicate the presence of รne-dispersed silicon carbide precipitates of average size ยฟ0.5-3 nm KL 23
L 23 in a silicon-carbon matrix. Although a beneรcial e โ ect of Si' irradiation on crystallization of the entire implantation zone could not be observed for dose densities O1 ร 1017 ions cm-2, this study demonstrates the successful application of AES for the characterization of heterogeneous materials with embedded nanoparticles in the matrix.