POINT DEFECTS AND DIFFUSION PROCESSES IN SILICON.

Abstract

The last few years have seen some quite exciting progresses in our understanding of the nature of point defects and diffusion processes in Si at high temperatures. In accordance with earlier suggestions, self-consistent analyses of experimental results on oxidation-induced stacking fault growth kinetics together with oxidation-enhanced and -retarded diffusion (OED and ORD) of substitutional dopants have shown beyond reasonable doubt that Si self-interstitials (I) and vacancies (V) coexist at high temperatures under thermal equilibrium as well as oxidizing conditions. Some possibilities regarding coexistence of I and V are discussed.