Concerted experiments and theoretical analysis are applied to conclusively demonstrate the vacancy generation during fast melting and regrowth of Si by laser irradiation. Experiments, based on the positron annihilation spectroscopy and designed to test the theoretical predictions, evidence a vacancy supersaturation after the laser process depending on the irradiation conditions. Stochastic atomistic simulations of the molten Si recrystallization show trapping of vacancies in the recrystallized region. Finally, continuum phase-field simulations of the full process, calibrated using the Monte Carlo results, show a defect evolution in close agreement with the experiments.Peer reviewe
