Effect of Near-surface Thermal Spikes on Radiation Hardness of Gallium Oxide

Abstract

Gallium oxide (Ga$_{2}$O$_{3}$) stands out as an extraordinary high radiation-tolerant semiconductor, because its lattice displacements induce polymorph transitions, holding material crystalline instead of leading to amorphization. Meanwhile, under extremely severe irradiation conditions many crystals become amorphous, often starting from surfaces where the translation symmetry breaks. Here, we show that the surface amorphization may prevail over the crystallisation in Ga$_{2}$O$_{3}$, however only if the mass and energy of irradiated ions produce sufficiently dense heat spikes in the immediate vicinity of the free surface. Applying machine-learned molecular dynamics simulations together with experimental broad-beam and focused ion-beam irradiations, we conclude that the presence of the free surface enables asymmetric displacements of Ga and O atoms, leading to a local non-stoichiometry. Consequently, when the affected cascade volume is sufficiently large, this compositional imbalance suppresses recrystallization and promotes amorphization. As such, our results are ready to use for tailoring irradiation conditions to either prevent or induce surface amorphization, depending on the requirements of the intended applications in Ga$_{2}$O$_{3}$ or other compound semiconductors.