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Published on: January 4, 2016
Evidence for a vacancy-phosphorus-oxygen complex in silicon.
S Dannefaer1, G Suppes, V Avalos
1Department of Physics, University of Winnipeg, 515 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, MB, R3B 2E9, Canada.
Summary
Low-energy electron irradiation creates defects in silicon. Phosphorus-vacancy pairs anneal in two stages, with a new stage forming phosphorus-vacancy-oxygen complexes.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Solid State Physics
- Semiconductor Physics
Background:
- Defect formation in silicon is crucial for semiconductor device performance.
- Understanding defect annealing behavior is key to controlling material properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the annealing behavior of phosphorus-vacancy (PV) pairs in Czochralski-grown silicon.
- To characterize the formation of new defect complexes involving PV pairs and oxygen.
Main Methods:
- Low-energy (∼0.5 MeV) electron irradiation of silicon.
- Positron annihilation spectroscopy to study vacancy defects.
- Isochronal annealing to determine defect annealing stages and activation energies.
Main Results:
- PV pairs anneal in two distinct stages.
- The first annealing stage (∼125°C) shows one-third of PV pairs disappearing with an activation energy of 0.8 ± 0.2 eV.
- A new annealing stage reveals the formation of PV-oxygen complexes with an activation energy of 2.0 ± 0.2 eV.
Conclusions:
- Silicon PV pairs exhibit complex annealing pathways.
- The formation of PV-oxygen complexes is a significant annealing pathway at higher temperatures.
- These findings contribute to understanding defect dynamics in irradiated silicon.
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