Order of the Formation Reaction and the Origin of the Photoluminescence W Center in Silicon Crystal

The origin of the photoluminescence (PL) W center (or I1 center) in silicon crystal was investigated by observing the change of the PL intensity of the center with implantation fluence for proton-implanted silicon crystals with fluences between 1×1011 and 1×1016 ion/cm2 at an energy of 180 keV. The second-order reaction with respect to the fluence was analyzed for the formation of the W center. From the consideration of the symmetry, thermal behaviors and the order of the formation reaction of the W center, the center was determined to be well explained by the <111> split interstitial model.