Competition between thermal donors and thermal acceptors in electron-irradiated silicon annealed at 400–700 °C

Abstract

The formation of electrically active shallow centers in electron-irradiated silicon annealed in the range 400–700 °C was investigated. Radiation-enhanced formation of thermal donors (TDs) was observed at T∼400 °C. Non-uniform generation of TDs and thermal acceptors was found for an annealing temperature of 450 °C. The formation of areas with p- and n-type conductivity correlates with the non-uniform distribution of oxygen in silicon. The temperature interval of thermal acceptor generation in electron-irradiated, Cz-grown silicon was found to be very narrow around 450 °C.