Theoretical calculations which predicted mobile silicon di-interstitials (I2) were explored using a comprehensive self-consistent atomistic Monte Carlo modeling framework. Their role in surface recombination and self-interstitial clustering processes, including boron transient enhanced diffusion, was considered under conditions where no boron clustering occurred. It was concluded that, under such conditions, mobile I2 did not play a critical role and that the single self-interstitial could be made to account for the missing mobile I2. The main requirement for introducing the mobile I2 was a bottleneck of two consecutive and relatively unstable self-interstitial cluster sizes. It was demonstrated that the differing surface recombination lengths measured under oxidation/implantation conditions could not be attributed to differing recombination lengths for single interstitials and di-interstitials.

Mobile Silicon Di-Interstitial: Surface, Self-Interstitial Clustering, and Transient Enhanced Diffusion Phenomena. I.Martin-Bragado, M.Jaraiz, P.Castrillo, R.Pinacho, J.Barbolla, M.M.De Souza: Physical Review B, 2003, 68[19], 195204