Positron annihilation in silicon crystals with mechanically processed surfaces

The angular correlation curves of the annihilation photons and the probability of three-quantum annihilation in silicon single crystals with mechanically processed surfaces were measured. The narrowing of the angular correlation curves increases and the three-quantum yield decreases with the depth of the surface abrasion. This is tentatively interpreted in terms of formation of positronium states on the surface of the silicon crystals.     

Positron annihilation in neutron-irradiated p-type Ge

Abstract

Observations of sintering of fine particles of diamond, SiO₂ and Al₂O₃ and possibly Al in a neutron radiation field are reported. Possible mechanisms are discussed and it is concluded that the transport of interstitials to the surface is most probably the responsible mechanism. This may occur by diffusion, channeling or focusing, and it is suggested that measurement of radiation sintering at two temperatures will show if the effect is thermally activated diffusion and that examination of changes in stoichiometry of the sintered interface will show if focusing or channeling dominates as a transport mechanism. Computations are also presented which show that the solar wind on the lunar surface could sinter dust into the observed clumps in a reasonable length of time.     

Positron annihilation in diamond,silicon and silicon carbide

Recent positron lifetime and doppler broadening results on silicon, diamond and silicon carbide are presented in this contribution. In as-grown Czochralski Si ingols vacancies are found to be retained after growth at concentrations typically around 3×10¹⁶/cm³. 10 MeV eleciron irradiation of variously doped Si wafers shows that only high doping concentrations well in excess of the interstitial oxygen concentration causes an increase in the amount of monovacancies retained.In porous silicon very long-lived positronium lifetimes in the range 40–90 ns are found. Polycrystalline diamond films contain various types of vacancy agglomerates but these are found to be inhomogeneously distributed from crystallite to crystallite. Electron irradiation of silicon carbide results in two vacancy-related lifetimes which are interpreted as resulting from carbon and silicon vacancies.Paper presented at the 132nd WE-Heraeus-Seminar on Positron Studies of Semiconductor Defects, Halle, Germany, 29 August to 2 September 1994     

Positron annihilation in ionic crystals

Positron lifetime measurements were made on Ca²⁺ doped NaCl, Ba²⁺ doped NaCl and X-ray- and additively-coloured KCl crystals. In the NaCl(Ca) system a correlation which could be approximated by a power equation was found between the dopant concentration and the positron annihilation parameters. In the NaCl(Ba) system the decay parameters do not change significantly as expected and no significant difference in the decay parameters of the coloured and uncoloured crystals could be found. Paper C 4 presented at 3rd Internat'l Conf. Positron Annihilation, Otaniemi, Finland (August 1973).     

Positron annihilation in copper single crystals

A point geometry angular correlation measurement of the annihilation radiation from an annealed single crystal of copper is presented. The results are compared with results for an unannealed sample and theoretical predictions obtained from a simple picture of the electronic wave-functions combined with two models for the positron wavefunction.     

Positron annihilation in gamma irradiated crystals

The angular correlation between the two gamma-quanta arising from positron annihilation in untreated and gamma-irradiated alkali halides is reported. For low level gamma irradiation the percentage of positrons annihilating with F-centre electrons is not very significant. When the F-centre concentration is increased to as much as 1.5 × 10¹⁷ per cm³, about 15 per cent of positrons annihilate with F-centre electrons. The angular correlation curve becomes progressively narrower with increase in F-centre concentration. Positrons annihilating in gamma-irradiated crystals reduce the F-centre considerably. The results of a systematic investigation on F-centre bleaching by positron annihilation are reported.     

Positron annihilation in boron-implanted n-type silicon

The ion damaged effect and subsequent isothermal annealing in boron-implanted Si was studied by positron annihilation lifetime measurements. The mean positron lifetime in preimplanted n-type Si is 243 psec. The variation of mean lifetime is detectable when the implanted boron dose is greater than 1.0x10¹⁵/cm². The saturated mean positron lifetime (247 psec) occurs when the implantation dose reaches 2.5x10¹⁵/cm². The mean electron density of the positron sensitive defects is estimated to be about 85% less than that in the perfect parts of the crystal. Isothermal annealing was held in every 5-minute step at 1000°C. In the first step, the positron lifetime in the implanted sample increases slightly and then decreases completely to its initial state in the 3rd step. Sheet resistance of the sample monitored by 4-point probe method has been found closely related to the positron lifetime.     

Positron annihilation in electron-irradiated n-type gap crystals

Abstract

The defects in n-GaP crystals irradiated by 2.3 MeV electrons up to 1 × 10¹⁹ cm^?2 at RT were studied by means of positron annihilation (angular correlation) and electrical property measurements. It was found that positrons are trapped in some radiation-induced vacancy-type defects (acceptors) but that the effect saturates at high electron fluences (D1 × 10¹⁸ cm^?2). The trapping rate in irradiated samples increases with temperature in the range 77–300 K. Post-irradiation isochronal annealing reveals the positron traps clustering at about 200–280°C. All positron sensitive radiation-induced defects disappear upon annealing up to 500°C.     

Compensating effects of platinum in n- and p-type silicon

Spreading resistance measurements have been used to investigate compensating effects of ion-implanted and diffused platinum in both n- and p-type silicon. The conversion resistivity-platinum concentration has been obtained by solving the charge neutrality condition, which requires a knowledge of the entropy factors associated to the ionization of the two energy levels introduced by the platinum inside the silicon bandgap. We have measured entropy factor values of 25±2 and of 2±0.3 for the donor and the acceptor level, respectively, and by using these values the silicon resistivity versus platinum concentration has been calculated for different values of the substrate dopant concentration. As the platinum acceptor level is shallower than the corresponding level introduced by gold doping, a large difference in the resistivity increase induced by the two elements in n-type silicon is expected. We will show that this large difference is however smoothed by the different values of the corresponding entropy factors.     

Positron annihilation studies of defects in helium-irradiated silicon

Positron annihilation studies have been carried out on Si-n irradiated with He⁺ ions at the V.U.B. cyclotron, to a dose of 4×10¹⁷ He/cm². No temperature dependence on the S-parameter and lifetimes is seen below the irradiation temperature. The positron lifetime associated to the created defects is 290 ps. During the isochronal annealing, this lifetime stays constant up to 700 K. It is attributed to the annihilation of positrons from large vacancy-clusters filled with He atoms. From the isochronal annealing results, only one annealing stage is seen. This annealing stage which extends over a long range of temperature 700–1000 K, is ascribed to the degassing of helium atoms from defects and the growth of vacancy-clusters. The lifetime of positrons in those defects reaches a value of about 530±30 ps at 1000 K, indicating that the vacancy-clusters formed have a mean size of more than 8 vacancies.     

Positron annihilation in alkali-halide crystals after electron irradiation

The effect of electron beam irradiation on the positron annihilation in KCl, KBr, NaCl single crystals was investigated. The narrowing of the angular correlation curves increases up to the saturation value with the absorbed radiation dose. The shape of the received narrow components differs from the narrow component measured in the additively colored samples. This phenomenon shows the considerable influence of the hole centres upon the positron annihilation in ionic crystals. Paper presented at 3rd Internat. Conf. Positron Annihilation, Otaniemi, Finland (August 1973).     

Positron annihilation and Hall effect in electron irradiatedn-InP crystals

Positron annihilation and Hall effect inn-InP crystals as a function of electron irradiation up to 1 · 10¹⁹ cm^–2 and post-irradiated isochronal annealing up to 550 °C have been studied. It is concluded that in irradiatedn-InP samples positrons interact with negatively charged acceptor-type defect with level atE _c –0.33 eV, probablyV _In (primary defect). In post-irradiated isochronal annealed (up to 330 °C) samples ofn-InP positron trapping occurs preferably in secondary defects-vacancy clusters, which are formed in the temperature range (150–300 °C). Inn-InP crystals containing radiation induced defects the trapping rate was found to decrease with temperature in the range (300–77) K.     

Positron trapping in electron-irradiated silicon crystals

The positron lifetime in electron-irradiated undoped and doped silicon crystals is studied as a function of temperature between 90 and 300 K. We show that the temperature dependence of the two lifetime components does not arise from the escape, but from the trapping rate at defects. The temperature dependences of the capture cross sections are deduced. It is concluded that in undoped crystals the positrons interact with negatively charged and neutral defects, probably divacancies and vacancy-oxygen complexes, respectively. In strongly P-doped crystals positron trapping occurs preferably in negatively charged centers.     

Positron escape from annihilation centers in electron-irradiated Si crystals

The mean positron lifetime in irradiated Si diminishes with increasing temperature between 77°K and 300°K. Isochronal high-temperature crystal anneals reduce the effect. Analysis suggests that thermally activated positrons escape after trapping in radiation-induced defects.     

Positron annihilation study on nanometer cavities in porous silicon

Measurements were carried out on the positron lifetime and the Doppler broadening of its annihilation radiation in porous silicon. A very long lifetime of a few tens of nanoseconds was found. TheS parameter increased upon annealing in vacuum at 350 °C. It is pointed out that positron/positronium spectroscopy is very useful for the study of physical and chemical properties of porous silicon.     

Electronic structure model for n- and p-type silicon quantum dots

We present effective mass, single-particle calculations of the electronic structure of n- and p-type silicon quantum dots. The structures investigated approximate silicon quantum dots fabricated on 〈 001〉-oriented SIMOX wafers. The effects of possible built-in strain are investigated in the framework of deformation potential induced splitting of the six degenerate conduction band valleys and the splitting of the degeneracy at the top of the bulk valence band. We present the energy levels and their degeneracies as functions of the dimensions of simple tetragonal model quantum dots. Our results are relevant for silicon quantum dots that are sufficiently small such as to lead to a predominance of the confinement energy over the Coulomb energy.     

Positron annihilation studies in the mixed crystals of KCl:KBr

Positron annihilation line shape studies have been made in five mixed crystals of KCl:KBr with varying concentrations. The annihilation line shape parameter S shows a minimum for the 50 mole% KCl/50 mole% KBr specimen indicating an orderly behaviour of the system. At other concentrations, the mixed crystals appear to have defects.