Silver- and Silver-Hydrogen-Related Defects in Silicon

Herein, the electrical and structural properties of Ag- and AgH-related defects in n- and p-type Si are reinvestigated using conventional deep-level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) and high-resolution Laplace DLTS. It is evidenced that a peak corresponding to substitutional Ag does not always appear in as-grown Si and additional heat treatments are necessary to observe this defect. Several AgH-related peaks, which were not previously reported in the literature, are observed in hydrogenated n- and p-type Si. The electrical properties of these defects are determined and their origin is discussed. By using high-resolution Laplace DLTS, the depth profiles of AgH-related defects previously assigned to AgSH and AgSH2 are analyzed, and their assignments are questioned.