Ultrasonic study of point defects in electron-irradiated p-type silicon

The mechanisms of interaction of ultrasonic waves with point defects in crystals are reviewed, and a perturbation approach is introduced that leads to general expressions for the resonance and relaxation strengths in terms of matrix elements of the ultrasonic perturbation. These expressions provide the basis for a discussion of the polarization dependence of resonance and relaxation. Selection rules for cubic crystals are presented. An exploratory ultrasonic study is performed on electron-irradiated B-doped and Al-doped silicon. Neutral substitutional boron is detected before irradiation, as expected from previous ultrasonic studies on unirradiated silicon. This defect produces both resonance and relaxation. Similar effects are observed for substitutional aluminum. After irradiation, a relaxation is observed when the sample is exposed to 0.18-0.39 eV light. By comparison with previous EPR results, this relaxation is identified as the singly positively charged state of the vacancy, V+. Preliminary results on the relaxation time and strength of V+ suggest that it may have several populated vibronic levels. Another relaxation is observed in irradiated Al-doped silicon when the sample is exposed to white light. From its annealing behavior and dopant dependence, it is identified as a nonequilibrium charge state of interstitial aluminum