On the nature and charge state of the X-Defect, a radiation-induced Silicon defect with field-enhanced charge carrier emission

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Main Authors: Sorgenfrei, Niels, Gurimskaya, Yana, Himmerlich, Anja, Moll, Michael, Parzefall, Ulrich, Pintilie, Ioana, Schwandt, Joern
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Sorgenfrei, Niels
Gurimskaya, Yana
Himmerlich, Anja
Moll, Michael
Parzefall, Ulrich
Pintilie, Ioana
Schwandt, Joern
author_facet Sorgenfrei, Niels
Gurimskaya, Yana
Himmerlich, Anja
Moll, Michael
Parzefall, Ulrich
Pintilie, Ioana
Schwandt, Joern
contents The elusive X-Defect, a defect found in low-resistivity $p$-type Silicon after irradiation, observed as a low-temperature shoulder of the $\mathrm{B}_\mathrm{i}\mathrm{O}_\mathrm{i}$ defect (Boron-interstitial-Oxygen-interstitial complex) in Thermally Stimulated Current (TSC) measurements, was investigated to determine its properties, matching them with those of a previously identified defect. Through a combination of TSC, Deep-Level Transient Spectroscopy (DLTS), Difference-DLTS (DDLTS), numerical simulations of field-enhanced charge carrier emissions in TSC measurements and a comparison to literature, the X-Defect was identified as the singly positively charged Silicon di-vacancy $\mathrm{V}_2(+/0)$. This assignment is supported by an agreement in activation energy, capture cross-section, trap type and charge emission process, as well as simulations comparing the effects of phonon-assisted tunnelling (PAT) and Poole-Frenkel (PF) mechanisms on TSC spectra. DDTLS measurements revealed a quadratic dependence of the activation energy on the electric field strength, confirming PAT as the prevailing mechanism over PF in the case of the radiation-induced X-Defect. Assigning the X-Defect to an electrically neutral defect in the space charge region resolves previous contradictions regarding its deficiency in impacting on the effective doping concentration.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2508_16197
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle On the nature and charge state of the X-Defect, a radiation-induced Silicon defect with field-enhanced charge carrier emission
Sorgenfrei, Niels
Gurimskaya, Yana
Himmerlich, Anja
Moll, Michael
Parzefall, Ulrich
Pintilie, Ioana
Schwandt, Joern
Materials Science
High Energy Physics - Experiment
Instrumentation and Detectors
The elusive X-Defect, a defect found in low-resistivity $p$-type Silicon after irradiation, observed as a low-temperature shoulder of the $\mathrm{B}_\mathrm{i}\mathrm{O}_\mathrm{i}$ defect (Boron-interstitial-Oxygen-interstitial complex) in Thermally Stimulated Current (TSC) measurements, was investigated to determine its properties, matching them with those of a previously identified defect. Through a combination of TSC, Deep-Level Transient Spectroscopy (DLTS), Difference-DLTS (DDLTS), numerical simulations of field-enhanced charge carrier emissions in TSC measurements and a comparison to literature, the X-Defect was identified as the singly positively charged Silicon di-vacancy $\mathrm{V}_2(+/0)$. This assignment is supported by an agreement in activation energy, capture cross-section, trap type and charge emission process, as well as simulations comparing the effects of phonon-assisted tunnelling (PAT) and Poole-Frenkel (PF) mechanisms on TSC spectra. DDTLS measurements revealed a quadratic dependence of the activation energy on the electric field strength, confirming PAT as the prevailing mechanism over PF in the case of the radiation-induced X-Defect. Assigning the X-Defect to an electrically neutral defect in the space charge region resolves previous contradictions regarding its deficiency in impacting on the effective doping concentration.
title On the nature and charge state of the X-Defect, a radiation-induced Silicon defect with field-enhanced charge carrier emission
topic Materials Science
High Energy Physics - Experiment
Instrumentation and Detectors
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.16197