Defect production and lifetime control in electron and γ-irradiated silicon

A study of the effect of 1- and 12-MeV electron and Co60 γ irradiation has been made on power p-i- n diodes and Schottky barrier diodes fabricated on the same starting material. A comparison of the results from these two types of structures illustrated the influence of device processing on the type of defects formed by subsequent irradiation. Detailed electrical characterization of the defects demonstrated good consistency between certain elements of the structural nature of the defect, inferred from these measurements, and those already obtained from electron spin resonance (ESR) measurements. Lifetime measurements on the p-i-n diodes indicated that both the A center and the divacancy were active recombination centers. Finally, data are presented on defect and lifetime annealing.