Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 February 2011
Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy is used to examine the stability of defect configurations in Si and InP. A systematic approach has been developed to study alternate structures of metastable defects through their representative electronic states. Regulation of defect charge state prior to analysis reveals dramatic transformations in the resulting spectra. These defect states are metastable and can be controlled with thermal or electronic energy. Model studies in electron irradiated InP and Si are presented. The barriers to configurational change are determined from the reaction kinetics. The roles of electric field, minority carrier injection and charge state are explored through junction bias techniques. It is believed that the observed behaviors represent a new class of defect reactions. The systematics of detecting and studying these reactions are presented. Model defect structures are discussed.