Annealing of Electron-Irradiatedn-Type Silicon. I. Donor Concentration Dependence

The annealing behavior of electron-irradiated phosphorus-doped silicon of low oxygen content (float zoned and Lopex) was studied by monitoring changes in the carrier concentration with Hall-effect measurements. In isochronal anneals, the $E$-center annealing stage was observed to shift to higher temperatures as the donor concentration was increased. This behavior was found to be consistent with a charge-state influence on the stability of the $E$ center. Analysis of the experimental data with respect to a charge-state model suggests an activation energy for recovery of the neutrally charged $E$ center of 0.9-1.2 eV. This value is in good agreement with previous annealing studies of Watkins and Corbett and Hirata et al.