Electrically active defects in erbium-implanted silicon: Effects of annealing under high hydrostatic pressures and electron irradiation

The properties and behavior of erbium- and oxygen-related complexes in Si subjected to post-implantation annealing under compressive stress are studied. It has been shown that post-implantation annealing steps at T = 700 °C under hydrostatic pressures of 1 GPa give rise to the formation of new donor centers at ≈EC − 190 meV. The formation of other dominant Er–O-related centers remains unaltered. It is also shown that the dominant Er–O-related complexes do not interact with intrinsic point defects at room temperature, so the observed compensation of electron conductivity of Er-implanted materials by radiation-produced acceptors is mostly related to the formation of A-centers (oxygen–vacancy complexes).