Homogeneity characterization of lattice spacing of silicon single crystals by a self-referenced lattice comparator

Abstract

The homogeneity of the lattice spacings of silicon single crystals from different origins was characterized. Strain measurements were performed on single crystals from NRLM3, NRLM4 and 28Si-10Pr11 ingots, which are all used to determine the Avogadro constant. NRLM3 and NRLM4 both exhibited clear striations, whereas almost no pattern was obtained for 28Si-10Pr11. The standard deviation of the lattice spacing of the single crystal obtained from 28Si-10Pr11 was 4.7 × 10−9, which enabled the lattice spacing to be determined with a standard uncertainty of 3 × 10−9.