Stress-induced mixing of the spin-orbit-split acceptor states of silicon

Abstract

A theoretical treatment of the stress-induced mixing of the impurity states arising from the top of the ${p}_{\frac{3}{2}}$ valence band with those of the spin-orbit-split ${p}_{\frac{1}{2}}$ band of silicon is presented. The nonlinear stress dependence of the $2{p}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ line of boron, aluminum, gallium, and indium acceptors in silicon is examined. The ratio of the deformation potential constants of the excited state of the $2{p}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ line with the spin-orbit splitting ${\ensuremath{\lambda}}_{e}$ is determined. The nonlinear stress dependence of one of the components of the 23-meV electronic Raman line of boron acceptors in silicon determined by Cherlow, Aggarwal, and Lax is shown to be consistent with this transition being from the fourfold acceptor ground state to its spin-orbit-split twofold partner state; this transition has been observed for the first time as a transition in the far infrared.