The strength of Au binding at cavity walls, and in precipitates of the Au-Si molten phase, was quantified for temperatures ranging from 1023 to 1123K. The diffusivity-solubility product of interstitial Au was also determined. These properties were obtained by using ion implantation and annealing to form multiple layers, which contained cavities or Au-Si precipitates, and then measuring (using Rutherford back-scattering spectrometry) the rate and extent of Au redistribution between layers during isothermal heating. The results were incorporated into a diffusion-reaction formalism which described the evolution of coupled concentrations of interstitial Au, substitutional Au, Si interstitial atoms and Si vacancies. It was shown that cavities were effective sinks for gettering Au from solution in Si.

S.M.Myers, G.A.Petersen: Physical Review B, 1998, 57[12], 7015-26