Magnetic resonance investigation of gold-doped and gold-hydrogen-doped silicon

Three paramagnetic centers related to gold have been observed in gold-doped and gold-doped hydrogenated silicon by magnetic resonance. One spectrum, labeled Si-NL62, corresponding to a center with monoclinic-I symmetry, presents fourfold splitting due to the hyperfine interaction with one gold atom and further hyperfine interaction with two silicon nearest-neighbor atoms. After being diffused with hydrogen in a wet atmosphere of water vapor at 1300 ^∘{}C for about 30 min, a second electron paramagnetic resonance spectrum, labeled Si-NL63, is detected, also of the monoclinic-I symmetry. The spectrum of the center is characterized by a complex hyperfine structure, in which, depending on magnetic field orientation, a sevenfold splitting with the intensities 1:2:3:4:3:2:1, a fourfold splitting 4:4:4:4, and other more arbitrary structures are observed. Extra small splitting is observed in the sample diffused with deuterium, indicating hydrogen involvement in the microscopic structure of the Si-NL63 center. Under band gap illumination the third center of a one-gold--two-hydrogen complex is observed. The center, labeled Si-NL64, has low triclinic symmetry and features the hyperfine interactions with one gold and two nearly equivalent hydrogen atoms. This results in a (1:2:1):(1:2:1):(1:2:1):(1:2:1) structure of each group of spectral lines. Spin-Hamiltonian parameters for the three spectra are determined and microscopic models are discussed.