Iron Detection in Crystalline Silicon by Different Lifetime Measurement Techniques

Lifetime techniques are frequently used to identify transition metals and to quantify their concentrations in silicon1-3. One of the most common contaminations is iron1,4,5. Dissolved iron exists in many defect configurations, the most prominent two are the interstitial Iron (Fei) and the Iron Boron Pairs (FeB). These defects are investigated on intentionally iron contaminated silicon samples by means of injection dependent lifetime spectroscopy (IDLS) and temperature and injection dependent lifetime spectroscopy (T-IDLS). In this paper we present IDLS and T-IDLS measurements, explain the basics of the used evaluation technique and compare the results.