  Using molecular dynamics (MD) simulation, we investigate the mechanical
response of silicon to high dose ion-irradiation. We employ a realistic and
efficient model to directly simulate ion beam induced amorphization. Structural
properties of the amorphized sample are compared with experimental data and
results of other simulation studies. We find the behavior of the irradiated
material is related to the rate at which it can relax. Depending upon the
ability to deform, we observe either the generation of a high compressive
stress and subsequent expansion of the material, or generation of tensile
stress and densification. We note that statistical material properties, such as
radial distribution functions are not sufficient to differentiate between
different densities of amorphous samples. For any reasonable deformation rate,
we observe an expansion of the target upon amorphization in agreement with
experimental observations. This is in contrast to simulations of quenching
which usually result in denser structures relative to crystalline Si. We
conclude that although there is substantial agreement between experimental
measurements and most simulation results, the amorphous structures being
investigated may have fundamental differences; the difference in density can be
attributed to local defects within the amorphous network. Finally we show that
annealing simulations of our amorphized samples can lead to a reduction of high
energy local defects without a large scale rearrangement of the amorphous
network. This supports the proposal that defects in amorphous silicon are
analogous to those in crystalline silicon.
