AFM and SEM investigation of a Zn-doped silicon surface
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) combined with X-ray energy-dispersive microanalysis were used to investigate a silicon surface upon the decomposition of a super-saturated zinc solid solution in it. It was established that the created material was inhomogeneous and contained microdefects in the form of zinc precipitates that settled on dislocations or grain boundaries.