Temperature and injection dependence of the Shockley–Read–Hall lifetime in electron-irradiated p-type silicon

Abstract

The Shockley–Read–Hall (SRH) carrier lifetime in electron-irradiated low-doped p-type silicon was measured at different injection levels and various temperatures. The lifetime under high-level injection was determined using the open-circuit carrier decay technique. The reverse recovery technique was used to determine the lifetime under low-level injection. The defect composition was studied using deep-level transient spectroscopy, and according to that the SRH lifetime is calculated. The good agreement between the calculated and the measured lifetimes strongly indicates that the lifetime is controlled by two different deep levels. At low injection levels, the lifetime is mainly controlled by the singly negative charge state of the divacancy center, HC−HT=0.421 eV, and at high injection levels by the vacancy–oxygen complex, HC−HT=0.164 eV. These are the same levels controlling the lifetime in electron-irradiated n-type silicon.