ABSTRACT
This chapter considers briefly the principles behind these effects and reviews the relevant literature on point defects and defect complexes in silicon, in germanium, and in silicon-germanium. It discusses the electronic properties of the defects and in particular their position in the bandgap and as a consequence the likely effects on the electrical behavior of devices. The chapter looks at the significance of dislocations in relation to device performance. It examines the populations of defect complexes that evolve and their position in the bandgap. Defects play a crucial role in semiconductor processing and in finished devices by mediating diffusion, defining junction leakage, and controlling carrier recombination. The literature on diffusion in silicon–germanium and strained silicon is reviewed and the effects of point defects on diffusion are considered along with the impact of strain on diffusivities of the common dopants. Combined with heating, the same technique can be used to study the motion of impurities in strained silicon.
