Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 February 2011
We have carried out electrical characterization of defects in heavily damaged silicon, where damage is created by MeV heavy ions at doses near but below amorphization threshold and samples are subjected to different annealing conditions. Defect characterization is carried out using combination of deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) and isothermal time analyzed spectroscopy (TATS). The defect spectrum is observed to be sensitive to I) furnace annealing between 400–600°C, ii) low temperature oven annealing at 160°C, and iii) forward injection current. The observed changes in spectra are indicators of extreme sensitivity of dominant defects to relaxation of the disordered medium, and recombination enhanced reactions. Surprisingly the defect spectra is usually dominated by a single peak with unbroadened lineshape characteristic of discrete energy level in the bandgap, though electrical signatures keep varying for different processing conditions. In the light of these measurements, we discuss the nature of stability and metastability of the defects believed to be due to intrinsic defect clusters.