The migration of interstitial Fe was observed at the atomic scale for the first time. Coulomb-excited 57Fe nuclei were implanted into high-purity n-type material, and Mossbauer spectra were recorded at temperatures of between 300 and 850K. Diffusional broadening of one of the spectral components was attributed to interstitial Fe. The isomer shift of the interstitial Fe was determined, and the proposal that a single mechanism governed Fe diffusion at temperatures of between 300 and 1500K was confirmed.

P.Schwalbach, S.Laubach, M.Hartick, E.Kankeleit, B.Keck, M.Menningen, R.Sielemann: Physical Review Letters, 1990, 64[11], 1274-7