Direct observation of the lattice sites of implanted manganese in silicon

Abstract

Mn-doped Si has attracted significant interest in the context of dilute magnetic semiconductors. We investigated the lattice location of implanted Mn in silicon of different doping types (n, $$n^+$$ and $$p^+$$ ) in the highly dilute regime. Three different lattice sites were identified by means of emission channeling experiments: ideal substitutional sites; sites displaced from bond-centered toward substitutional sites; and sites displaced from anti-bonding toward tetrahedral interstitial sites. For all doping types investigated, the substitutional fraction remained below $$\sim$$ 30 %. We discuss the origin of the observed lattice sites as well as the implications of such structures on the understanding of Mn-doped Si systems.