Dislocation Related D-Band Luminescence; the Effects of Transition Metal Contamination

Abstract

AbstractPhotoluminescence measurements have been made on plastically formed silicon, free from metal contamination, with dislocation densities in the range 104-108cm-2. Only after deliberate contamination with Cu, Fe or Ni were the dislocation related D-bands the dominant spectral features observed. TEM analysis has revealed that there are no differences in the dislocation structures before and after contamination and that there is no evidence for precipitation on the dislocations or in their strain fields. The D-band features may, therefore, be due to impurities (metal atoms or point defect complexes) trapped in the strain fields of the dislocations.