Papers by Author: Anthony R. Peaker

Abstract: It is argued in this work that a DLTS signal associated with hole emission from a radiation-induced defect with an energy level at E_v + 0.09 eV is related to a complex of silicon di-interstitial with an oxygen atom (I₂O). This signal has been observed in the DLTS spectra of p-type Si:O samples irradiated with either 4-6 MeV electrons or alpha particles. Isochronal and isothermal annealing studies of the samples have shown that the defect responsible for the DLTS signal from the E_v + 0.09 eV level disappears upon heat-treatments in the temperature range 75-100 °C and its formation and annealing behavior is similar to that of a center giving rise to the infrared absorption band at 936 cm^-1 previously assigned to a local vibrational mode (LVM) due to the I₂O complex. Possible configurations of the I₂O complex have been found by ab-initio modeling and analyzed. Formation and binding energies, energy levels and LVMs for different configurations have been determined. It has been found that the minimum energy configuration of the I₂O complex consists of the compact I₂ to which a divalent interstitial oxygen atom is attached. Calculated values of the strongest LVM (ν = 971 см^-1 ) and position of the donor level {E_v + (0.11-0.13) eV} for the minimum energy configuration are very close to those assigned to the I₂O defect in the infrared absorption and DLTS experiments.

Abstract: The evolution of radiation-induced carbon-oxygen related defects with the fluence of MeV electrons and upon subsequent isochronal annealing (75-350 °C) in Si crystals with different carbon and oxygen content has been studied by means of Local Vibrational Mode (LVM) spectroscopy. In particular, the generation kinetics of the bands at 998 and 991 cm^-1 is considered and additional arguments supporting their previous assignment to the I₂C_iO_i and I₃C_iO_i complexes are found. An annealing behaviour of the LVMs related to the C4 (IC_iO_i) defect has been studied in the various Si crystals irradiated with different particles. In all the samples studied the bands at 940 and 1024 cm^-1 are found to disappear at about 200 °C while three new LVM bands, at 724 cm^-1 (O-related) and at 952 and 973 cm^-1 (both C-related) are emerging. Further increase in annealing temperature up to 250-275 °C results in a transformation of the latter bands into another set of LVM bands at 969 cm^-1 (O-related) and at 951 and 977 cm^-1 (both C-related). These bands disappear upon annealing in the temperature range 300-325 °C. The ratios of all the bands intensities as well as their transformation rates do not depend on the oxygen and carbon content in the Si samples nor on the kind of irradiation (2.5 and 10 MeV electrons, fast neutrons) and irradiation doses. These facts confirm our previous conclusion that all the above-mentioned LVMs arise from the C4 defect being in different configurations (IC_iO_i, IC_iO_i*, and IC_iO_i**).

Abstract: The data obtained recently from combined deep-level-transient spectroscopy (DLTS), local vibrational mode (LVM) spectroscopy and ab-initio modeling studies on structure, electronic properties, local vibrational modes, reconfiguration and diffusion paths and barriers for trivacancy (V₃) and trivacancy-oxygen (V₃O) defects in silicon are summarized. New experimental results on the introduction rates of the divacancy (V₂) and trivacancy upon 4 MeV electron irradiation and on the transformation of V₃ from the fourfold coordinated configuration to the (110) planar one upon minority carrier injection are reported. Possible mechanisms of the transformation are considered and discussed.

Abstract: We have recently shown that Sn impurity atoms are effective traps for vacancies (V) in Ge:Sn crystals irradiated with MeV electrons at room temperature [V.P. Markevich et al., J. Appl. Phys. 109 (2011) 083705]. A hole trap with 0.19 eV activation energy for hole emission to the valence band (E_h) has been assigned to an acceptor level of the Sn-V complex. In the present work electrically active defects introduced into Ge:Sn+P crystals by irradiation with 6 MeV electrons and subsequent isochronal annealing in the temperature range 50-300 °C have been studied by means of transient capacitance techniques and ab-initio density functional modeling. It is found that the Sn-V complex anneals out upon heat-treatments in the temperature range 50-100 °C. Its disappearance is accompanied by the formation of vacancy-phosphorus (VP) centers. The disappearance of the VP defect upon thermal annealing in irradiated Sn-doped Ge crystals is accompanied by the effective formation of a defect which gives rise to a hole trap with E_h = 0.21 eV and is more thermally stable than other secondary radiation-induced defects in Ge:P samples. This defect is identified as tin-vacancy-phosphorus (SnVP) complex. It is suggested that the effective interaction of the VP centers with tin atoms and high thermal stability of the SnVP complex can result in suppression of transient enhanced diffusion of phosphorus atoms in Ge.

Abstract: Defects induced in silicon crystals by irradiations with 6 MeV electrons in the temperature range 60 to 500 oC have been studied by means of deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) and high-resolution Laplace DLTS. Diodes for the study were fabricated on n-type epitaxially grown Si wafers. The DLTS spectra for the samples irradiated at elevated temperatures were compared with those for samples, which were subjected to irradiation at 60 oC and subsequent isochronal anneals in a furnace. The dominant radiation-induced defects in the samples irradiated at temperatures lower than 400 oC were found to be vacancy-oxygen (VO) and interstitial carbon – interstitial oxygen (CiOi) complexes. The introduction rates of the VO and CiOi centers increased about twice upon raising the irradiation temperature from 50 to 400 oC. It is argued that this effect is associated with either a) the suppression of the annihilation rate of Frenkel pairs or b) a decrease in the threshold energy for displacement of a host Si atom upon increase in the irradiation temperature. Transformations of deep level traps due to divacancies (V2) and trivacancies (V3) to V2-oxygen and V3-oxygen complexes were found to occur upon irradiation or annealing at temperatures exceeding 250 oC. A clear anti-correlation between changes in the minority carrier life time induced in the p+-n diodes by irradiation at different temperatures and changes in the concentrations of radiation-induced vacancy- and vacancy-oxygen-related complexes was found.

Abstract: Solar power is seen by many as a solution to the world’s energy problems. The earth receives 1.7x1017W from the sun compared to a total electricity generation capacity of 4.6x1012W (OECD prediction for 2010). However the average power density is low with a daytime average over the earth of 680Wm-2. This makes centralised generation problematic but distributed photoelectric generation by domestic and commercial users is a rapidly developing market. However typical commercially available modules have an energy conversion efficiency of less than 12%. Silicon cells with 24% efficiency have been produced in the lab while multi-junction tandem cells using different semiconductor materials (GaInAs, GaInP and Ge) to absorb different parts of the sun’s spectrum have reached 40%. This chapter describes some of the materials and device achievements so far and looks at possible ways in which higher efficiencies might be achieved with particular emphasis on nano-materials to use more of the solar spectrum efficiently. The possibility of using quantum slicing and multiple exciton generation to make more efficient use of high energy photons is considered and impurity band generation as a possible route to use low energy photons. One of the greatest challenges is to do this cheaply using semiconductors made from non-toxic abundant elements.

Abstract: The influence of Cu contamination on radiation-induced defect reactions in n-type Czochralski-grown silicon (Cz-Si) crystals has been studied by means of the Hall effect technique, deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) and high-resolution Laplace DLTS with supporting theoretical modeling of defects. It is found that the contamination of Cz-Si samples with Cu does not influence significantly the energy spectrum and introduction rates of the principal electrically active defects induced by electron irradiation. The vacancy-oxygen (VO) centre, divacancy (V2) and a complex consisting of a silicon self-interstitial with the oxygen dimer (IO2) are found to be the dominant radiation-induced defects in Cu-contaminated samples as well as in uncontaminated ones. An isochronal annealing study has shown that the presence of Cu affects the annealing behaviour of the vacancy-related defects. In Cu-doped samples the VO centre disappears upon annealing at significantly lower temperatures (175-250°C) compared to those of the VO disappearance in the uncontaminated samples (300-375°C). The disappearance of the VO centres in the Cu-doped samples occurs simultaneously with an anti-correlated introduction of a defect with an energy level at about Ec- 0.60 eV. It is suggested that this defect is formed by the interaction of a mobile Cu atom with the VO complex. According to results of quantum-chemical modelling, in the most stable configuration of the Cu-VO defect a Cu atom occupies a tetrahedral interstitial position nearest to the elongated Si-Si bond of the VO centre. The presence of the Cu atom is found to result in the further elongation of the Si-Si bond and a shift of the VO acceptor level to the middle of the gap. The annealing behaviour of V2 has also been found to be different in the irradiated Cu-doped samples compared to that in the uncontaminated ones. The most probable reason for this difference is an interaction of mobile Cu atoms with di-vacancies. An energy level at about Ec-0.17 eV has been tentatively assigned to a complex consisting of a Cu atom and a di-vacancy.

Abstract: It is found that shallow hydrogen-related donors are formed in proton-implanted dilute Ge1-хSiх alloys (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.031) as well as in Si-free Ge samples upon heat-treatments in the temperature range 225-300oC. The maximum concentration of the donors is about 1.5×1016 cm-3 for a H+ implantation dose of 1×1015 cm-2. The temperature range of formation of the protonimplantation- induced donors is the same in Ge1-xSix samples with different Si concentration. However, the increase in Si content results in a decrease of the concentration of the hydrogenrelated donors. It is argued that the H-related donors could be complexes of Ge-self-interstitials with hydrogen atoms. The observed decrease in the concentration of the donors with an increase in Si content in the Ge1-xSix samples is associated with interactions of mobile hydrogen atoms with Si impurity atoms. Such interactions reduce the number of implanted hydrogen atoms that can be involved in defect reactions resulting in the formation of H-related shallow donors.

Abstract: Fast neutron irradiation of germanium has been used to study vacancy reactions and vacancy clustering in germanium as a model system to understand ion implantation and the vacancy reactions which are responsible for the apparently low n-type doping ceiling in implanted germanium. It is found that at low neutron doses (~1011cm-2) the damage produced is very similar to that resulting from electron or gamma irradiation whereas at higher doses (> 1013cm-2) the damage is similar to that resulting from ion implantation as observed in the region near the peak of a doping implant. Electrical measurements including CV profiling, spreading resistance, Deep- Level Transient-Spectroscopy and high resolution Laplace Deep-Level Transient-Spectroscopy have been used in conjunction with positron annihilation and annealing studies. In germanium most radiation and implantation defects are acceptor like and in n-type material the vacancy is negatively charged. In consequence the coulombic repulsion between two vacancies and between vacancies and other radiation-induced defects mitigates against the formation of complexes so that simple defects such as the vacancy donor pair predominate. However in the case of ion implantation and neutron irradiation it is postulated that localized high concentrations of acceptor like defects produce regions of type inversion in which the vacancy is neutral and can combine with itself or with other radiation induced acceptor like defects. In this paper the progression from simple damage to complex damage with increasing neutron dose is examined.

Abstract: The electronic properties and structure of a complex incorporating a self-interstitial (I) and two oxygen atoms are presented by a combination of deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS), infrared absorption spectroscopy and ab-initio modeling studies. It is argued that the IO2 complex in Si can exist in four charge states (IO− 2 , IO02 , IO+ 2 , and IO++ 2 ). The first and the second donor levels of the IO2 complex show an inverted location order in the gap, leading to a E(0/ + +) occupancy level at Ev + 0.255 eV. Activation energies for hole emission, transformation barriers between different structures, and positions of LVM lines for different configurations and charge states have been determined. These observables were calculated by density-functional calculations, which show that they are accounted for if we consider at least two charge-dependent defect structures.