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Title: Oxygen aggregation kinetics, thermal donors and carbon-oxygen defect formation in silicon containing carbon and tin

Journal Article · · Journal of Applied Physics
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4923388· OSTI ID:22490766
; ; ; ;  [1];  [2]
  1. Solid State Section, Physics Department, University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, Zografos, 157 84 Athens (Greece)
  2. Faculty of Engineering and Computing, Coventry University, Priory Street, Coventry CV1 5FB (United Kingdom)

Localized vibrational mode spectroscopy measurements on Czochralski silicon (Cz-Si) samples subjected to isothermal annealing at 450 °C are reported. First, we studied the effect of carbon (C) and tin (Sn) isovalent dopants on the aggregation kinetics of oxygen. It is determined that the reduction rate of oxygen is described by the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami equation in accordance with previous reports. The activation energy related with the reaction rate constant of the process is calculated to increase from Cz-Si, to C-doped Cz-Si (CCz-Si), to Sn-doped Cz-Si contained C (SnCz-Si). This is attributed to the presence of the isovalent dopants that may impact both the kinetics of the oxygen atoms and also may lead to the formation of other oxygen-related clusters. Second, we studied the effect of Sn on the formation and evolution of carbon-oxygen (C-O) defects. It was determined that the presence of Sn suppresses the formation of the C-O defects as indicated by the reduction in the strength of the 683, 626, and 586 cm{sup −1} well-known bands of C{sub s}O{sub i} defect. The phenomenon is attributed to the association of Sn with C atoms that may prevent the pairing of O with C. Third, we investigated the effect of C and Sn on the formation of thermal donors (TDs). Regarding carbon our results verified previous reports that carbon suppresses the formation of TDs. Interestingly, when both C and Sn are present in Si, very weak bands of TDs were observed, although it is known that Sn alone suppress their formation. This may be attributed to the competing strains of C and Sn in the Si lattice.

OSTI ID:
22490766
Journal Information:
Journal of Applied Physics, Vol. 118, Issue 1; Other Information: (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0021-8979
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English