Native Defects and their Interactions with Impurities in Silicon

Abstract

ABSTRACTA review is given of what has been learned from EPR studies over the last ∼35 years concerning vacancies and interstitials in silicon. Lattice vacancies are well understood, their diffusional migration energies determined vs charge state and electronic excitation, and their interactions with most of the common impurities established. The isolated interstitial has not been observed by EPR but a great deal has been learned concerning it from studies of its interactions with impurities, and more recently from theory. The properties of these two intrinsic defects and their progeny will be analyzed to help clarify their role in both the normal thermally activated diffusion processes and the transient-enhanced ones, which are of particular current concern.