Electronic properties of interstitial iron and iron-boron pairs determined by means of advanced lifetime spectroscopy

As dissolved iron is one of the most common lifetime-killing contaminants in silicon, its coexisting defect configurations, interstitial iron (Fei) and iron-boron pairs (FeB), are investigated on an intentionally iron-contaminated silicon sample by means of temperature-dependent lifetime spectroscopy (TDLS) and injection-dependent lifetime spectroscopy (IDLS). In good agreement with the literature, the study identifies the known Fei donor level at Et−EV=(0.394±0.005)eV and determines its symmetry factor as k=σn∕σp=51±5, which is an order of magnitude lower than expected from the literature. Using the well-confirmed k factor, the poorly confirmed electron-capture cross section is redetermined as σn=(3.6±0.4)×10−15cm2 at 300K. In addition, the observed exponential σ(T) dependence identifies the multiphonon emission mechanism as the dominant capture mechanism for electrons with an activation energy E∞=0.024eV. Concerning the defect related to the iron-boron pair, the study unambiguously identifies the deep F...

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