Localisation and Identification of Recombination-Active Extended Defects in Crystalline Silicon by Means of Focused Ion-Beam Preparation and Transmission Electron Microscopy. L.Stolze, P.Saring, C.Rudolf, M.Seibt: Physica Status Solidi C, 2009, 6[8], 1862-7

The localisation of extended defects related to the co-precipitation of transition metal impurities in silicon, and their preparation for subsequent analysis using techniques of transmission electron microscopy, were studied. Two approaches were described, i.e. (i) localisation of recombination-active defects by light-beam induced current followed by preferential chemical etching and transmission electron microscopic sample preparation using focused-ion beam, and (ii) the replacement of the chemical etching by in situ Ga+ irradiation in the focused-ion beam system. The former technique was successfully applied to copper-rich precipitate colonies in silicon whereas the latter proofs to be the superior approach for nickel-rich particles. Structural and chemical analyses using transmission electron microscopic techniques were described for both cases