Elsevier

Solid-State Electronics

Volume 25, Issue 8, August 1982, Pages 741-747
Solid-State Electronics

A physical model for the dependence of carrier lifetime on doping density in nondegenerate silicon

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Abstract

A theoretical model that describes the dependence of carrier lifetime on doping density, which is based on the equilibrium solubility of a single defect in nondegenerately doped silicon, is developed. The model predictions are consistent with the longest measured hole and electron lifetimes reported for n-type and p-type silicon, and hence imply a possibly “fundamental” (unavoidable) defect in silicon. The defect is acceptor-type and is more soluble in n-type than in p-type silicon, which suggests a longer fundamental limit for electron lifetime than for hole lifetime at a given nondegenerate doping density. The prevalent, minimum density of the defect, which defines these limits, occurs at the processing temperature below which the defect is virtually immobile in the silicon lattice. The analysis reveals that this temperature is in the range 300–400°C, and thus emphasizes, when related also to common non-fundamental defects, the significance of low-temperature processing in the fabrication of silicon devices requiring long or well-controlled carrier lifetimes.

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This work was supported by Sandia National Laboratories under Contract No. 23-1161 and by United States-Spain Cooperative Research Grant No. T3773008.

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