ELECTRICAL RECOMBINATION EFFICIENCY OF INDIVIDUAL EDGE DISLOCATIONS AND STACKING-FAULT DEFECTS IN N-TYPE SILICON

The EBIC mode of the SEM is used to study the electrical recombination behaviour of defects in n‐type Si over the temperature range 120 to 300 K. The electrical behaviour of individual defects is related to the structure of the same individual defects as determined by the weak‐beam technique of transmission electron microscopy. The defects studied consist of (a/2) 〈110〉 edge dislocations, Frank partial dislocations and stacking faults, present in the phosphorus‐doped emitter region of a bipolar transistor. The electrical recombination efficiency of the (a/2) 〈110〉 edge dislocation is significantly enhanced upon the dissociation of the perfect dislocation into its constituent 60° partials. The variations of EBIC contrast with temperature for dissociated and undissociated (a/2 〈110〉 edge dislocations are also different. Similarly, the electrical recombination efficiency of the Frank partial dislocation, and the variation of its EBIC contrast with temperature, are altered significantly upon a change in the direction (and not character) of the dislocation. No significant EBIC contrast is observed from stacking faults over the entire temperature range. It is concluded that the electrical behaviour of the dislocations investigated is strongly affected by their core structure. Copyright © 1979 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA