Electronic states of a negative donor ion in silicon and germanium

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We present a review of recent theoretical developments on the electronic structures of an isolated negative donor ion (D − ion) in silicon and germanium in a magnetic field and in zero field. In the case of zero field particular emphasis is placed on the effects of many-valley structure in a conduction band and of anisotropy of conduction band effective masses on the binding energy of a D − ion. The binding energy calculated in a variational method is compared with recent experimental results by long-wavelength photoconductivity measurements. On the other hand, in the case of high magnetic fields the features of D − states are discussed on the basis of theoretical prediction made for the case of an isotropic effective mass in a single valley.