Temperature dependent behavior of localized and delocalized electrons in nitrogen-doped 6H SiC crystals as studied by electron spin resonance

Journal Article · Thu Jan 28 04:00:00 EST 2016 · Journal of Applied Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4940739· OSTI ID:22494960

Kalabukhova, E.; Shanina, B.; Kiselov, V. ^[1]; Cichoň, S.; Honolka, J. ^[2]; Mokhov, E. ^[3]

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1. V.E. Lashkaryov Institute of Semiconductor Physics, NAS of Ukraine, Kyiv 03028 (Ukraine)
2. Institute of Physics AS CR, Prague 182 21 (Czech Republic)
3. A.F. Ioffe Physical Technical Institute, RAS, St. Petersburg 194021 (Russian Federation)

We have studied the temperature behavior of the electron spin resonance (ESR) spectra of nitrogen (N) donors in n-type 6H SiC crystals grown by Lely and sublimation sandwich methods (SSM) with donor concentration of 10{sup 17 }cm{sup −3} at T = 60–150 K. A broad signal in the ESR spectrum was observed at T ≥ 80 K with Lorentzian lineshape and g{sub ||} = 2.0043(3), g{sub ⊥} = 2.0030(3), which was previously assigned in the literature to the N donors in the 1s(E) excited state. Based on the analysis of the ESR lineshape, linewidth and g-tensor we attribute this signal to the conduction electrons (CE). The emergence of the CE ESR signal at T > 80 K was explained by the ionization of electrons from the 1s(A{sub 1}) ground and 1s(E) excited states of N donors to the conduction band while the observed reduction of the hyperfine (hf) splitting for the N{sub k1,k2} donors with the temperature increase is attributed to the motional narrowing effect of the hf splitting. The temperature dependence of CE ESR linewidth is described by an exponential law (Orbach process) with the activation energy corresponding to the energy separation between 1s(A{sub 1}) and 1s(E) energy levels for N residing at quasi-cubic sites (N{sub k1,k2}). The theoretical analysis of the temperature dependence of microwave conductivity measured by the contact-free method shows that due to the different position of the Fermi level in two samples the ionization of free electrons occurs from the energy levels of N{sub k1,k2} donors in Lely grown samples and from the energy level of N{sub h} residing at hexagonal position in 6H SiC grown by SSM.

• OSTI ID: 22494960
• Journal Information: Journal of Applied Physics, Journal Name: Journal of Applied Physics Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 119; ISSN JAPIAU; ISSN 0021-8979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
DOPED MATERIALS
ELECTRON SPIN RESONANCE
EXCITED STATES
FERMI LEVEL
MICROWAVE RADIATION
NITROGEN
SILICON CARBIDES
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE