The Dominant Recombination Centers in Electron‐Irradiated Semiconductors Devices

Abstract

The defect states introduced by electron irradiation of silicon and the effects these defect levels have on low level minority carrier lifetimes have been studied by the capacitance transient spectroscopy and reverse recovery techniques. The E3 defect level is the principal recombination center that controls lifetime following room temperature irradiation. As the E3 defect level anneals, however, a secondary defect level E4 emerges which then becomes the dominant recombination center. This defect level E4 is related to the electron‐induced defects since it is not produced in unirradiated samples. The energy levels and capture cross sections of these electron‐induced defects are reported.