Evidence for an iron-hydrogen complex in p-type silicon

Interactions of hydrogen with iron have been studied in Fe contaminated p-type Czochralski silicon using capacitance-voltage profiling and deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS). Hydrogen has been introduced into the samples from a silicon nitride layer grown by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition. After annealing of the Schottky diodes on Si:Fe + H samples under reverse bias in the temperature range of 90–120 °C, a trap has been observed in the DLTS spectra which we have assigned to a Fe-H complex. The trap is only observed when a high concentration of hydrogen is present in the near surface region. The trap concentration is higher in samples with a higher concentration of single interstitial Fe atoms. The defect has a deep donor level at Ev + 0.31 eV. Direct measurements of capture cross section of holes have shown that the capture cross section is not temperature dependent and its value is 5.2 × 10−17 cm2. It is found from an isochronal annealing study that the Fe-H complex is not very stable and can be eliminated completely by annealing for 30 min at 125 °C