About cookies on this site Our websites require some cookies to function properly (required). In addition, other cookies may be used with your consent to analyze site usage, improve the user experience and for advertising. For more information, please review your options. By visiting our website, you agree to our processing of information as described in IBM’sprivacy statement. To provide a smooth navigation, your cookie preferences will be shared across the IBM web domains listed here.
Publication
Physical Review B
Paper
Isotope effect for self-diffusion in Ge
Abstract
Although diffusion processes in elemental semiconductors have been extensively studied for nearly two decades, considerable controversy still exists over basic aspects of the diffusion process. In Ge, the vacancy mechanism is considered largely compatible with both experiment and theory but direct, experimental evidence indicating the single vacancy as the mechanism of self-diffusion at high temperature has not been previously offered. A radiotracer diffusion measurement can, in principle, identify the mechanism of self-diffusion via the isotope effect. This measurement was performed by simultaneously diffusing the isotopes Ge77 and Ge71 into single crystal, intrinsic Ge at temperatures of 900 and 925°C. In each of four runs the relative diffusivities of the two isotopes were measured from which four values of fΔ K ranging from 0.25 to 0.31 could be determined. The results are consistent with a single vacancy mechanism for which the correlation factor f is 0.5, placing ΔK in the range 0.5 to 0.6. © 1975 The American Physical Society.