Vibronic spectrum of the U2 isoelectronic center in Si: In

The photoluminescence spectrum of Si:In measured at 2 and 4 K using samples from several suppliers has been found to be preparation sensitive. In particular, intensity variations allow us to distinguish a sharp no-phonon line at 1.118 eV, variously referred to as U₂ of P, and its associated vibronic spectrum from the In(NP) lines and their phonon replicas. Whereas the intensity of the latter did not show preparation sensitivity, the former has been observed to change by three orders of magnitude. The U₂ vibronics form a broad-structured spectrum containing density-of-states features. The appearance of phonons other than those conserving crystal momentum demonstrates the exciton is bound to a low symmetry site. In addition, the spectrum includes a peak at 1.109 eV, called R, and a shoulder at 1.107 eV which involves too small an energy loss to be density-of-states related, and these features are most likely modes of the U₂ impurity complex. This complex has been tentatively identified as an isoelectronic center composed of an indium-phosphorus nearest-neighbor substitutional pair.