Abstract
Using positron annihilation measurements we observed the formation of thermal vacancies in highly As and P doped Si. The vacancies start to form at temperatures as low as 650 K and are mainly undecorated at high temperatures. Upon cooling the vacancies form stable vacancy-impurity complexes such as . We determine the vacancy formation energy of and the migration energy of in highly doped Si. By associating these values with the vacancy-impurity pair, we get an estimate of 2.8(3) eV for the formation energy of an isolated neutral monovacancy in intrinsic Si.
- Received 2 August 2004
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.93.255502
©2004 American Physical Society