This book contains the first comprehensive review of intrinsic point defects, impurities and their complexes in silicon. Besides compiling the structures, energetic properties, identified electrical levels and spectroscopic signatures, and the diffusion behaviour from investigations, it gives a comprehensive introduction into the relevant fundamental concepts.

This book emphasizes the importance of the fascinating atomistic insights into the defects and the impurities as well as the dynamic behaviors in silicon materials, which have become more directly accessible over the past 20 years. Such progress has been made possible by newly developed experimental methods, first principle theories, and computer simulation techniques. The book is aimed at young researchers, scientists, and technicians in related industries. The main purposes are to provide readers with 1) the basic physics behind defects in silicon materials, 2) the atomistic modeling as well as the characterization techniques related to defects and impurities in silicon materials, and 3) an overview of the wide range of the research fields involved.

This volume contains the proceedings of the 12th International Conference on Simulation of Semiconductor Processes and Devices, SISPAD 2007, held September 2007 in Vienna, Austria. It provides a global forum for the presentation and discussion of recent advances and developments in the theoretical description, physical modeling and numerical simulation and analysis of semiconductor fabrication processes, device operation and system performance.

This work presents a comprehensive theory describing atomic diffusion in silicon crystals under strong nonequilibrium conditions caused by ion implantation and interaction with the surface or other interfaces. A set of generalized equations that describe diffusion of impurity atoms and point defects are presented in a form suitable for solving numerically. Based on this theory, partial diffusion models are constructed, and the simulation of many doping processes used in microelectronics is carried out.Coupled Diffusion of Impurity Atoms and Point Defects in Silicon Crystals is a useful text for researchers, engineers, and advanced students in semiconductor physics, microelectronics, and nanoelectronics. It helps readers acquire a deep understanding of the physics of diffusion and demonstrates the practical application of the theoretical ideas formulated to find cheaper solutions in the course of manufacturing semiconductor devices and integrated microcircuits.

Silicon, germanium, and compound semiconductors, among which silicon carbide, gallium arsenide and gallium nitride are the most representative examples, play a withstanding role in the world economy, since they were and still are the keys for the advancement of modern microelectronics and optoelectronics, with a wealth of sister technologies relevant for renewable energy solutions and advanced spectroscopy applications. This textbook will cover the synthesis, spectroscopic characterisation and optimisation of semiconductor materials, accounting for the most recent developments in the field of nanomaterials. It will be of great interest for scholars and instructors to have the chance to look at semiconductor science with a basic chemical approach. Homopolar semiconductors (silicon and germanium) are examined first, considering the role of these materials in modern microelectronics and in photovoltaics. Compound semiconductors (for example, carbides, arsenides, tellurides, nitrides) are also discussed in detail, considering that the chemistry of their preparation is even more critical and their role in photonic applications is strategic. Authored by a leading expert in the field, this easily accessible text is appropriate for advanced undergraduates and postgraduates studying materials science and technology.

A self-consistent model of point defects requires a reliable connection with the experimentally deduced structural, spectroscopic and thermodynamic properties of the defect centres, to allow their unambiguous identification. This book focuses on the properties of defects in group IV semiconductors and seeks to clarify whether full knowledge of their chemical nature can account for several problems encountered in practice. It is shown how difficult the fulfilment of self-consistency conditions can be, even today, after more than four decades of dedicated research work, especially in the case of compound semiconductors, such as SiC, but also in the apparently simple cases of silicon and germanium. The reason for this is that the available microscopic models do not yet account for defect interactions in real solids.