Energetics of self-interstitial clusters in Si

The transient supersaturation in a system undergoing Ostwald ripening is related to the cluster formation energy E-fc as a function of cluster size n. We use this relation to study the energetics of self-interstitial clusters in Si. Measurements of transient enhanced diffusion of B in Si-implanted Si are used to determine S(t), and inverse modeling is used to derive E-fc(n). For clusters with n > 15, E-fc approximate to 0.8 eV, close to the fault energy of {113} defects. For clusters with n < 10, E-fc is typically 0.5 eV higher, but stabler clusters exist at n approximate to 4 (E-fc approximate to 1.0 eV) and n approximate to 8 (E-fc approximate to 0.6 eV). [S0031-9007(99)09311-4].