Identification of Small Defects in Silicon

In silicon monocrystals grown both by Czochralski and zone-floating method small defects (diameter about 100 Å) in surface-near layers, with typical black-white contrast in the dynamical image in the transmission electron microscope are observed. The identification is carried out by means of diffraction contrast analysis and high resolution lattice plane imaging. According to this analysis the defects are found to be spherical amorphous particles which compress the silicon matrix due to an internal strain ε ≈ 0.03 to 0.04. Three possibilities of the structure of these interstitial type clusters are discussed.