Effect of the Magnetic Field, Electric Field, and Light Intensity on the Parameters of Recombination Waves in Silicon

Abstract

The paper presents experimental study results of self-oscillations of the current of the recombination wave (RW) type in silicon doped with impurity selenium atoms. Doping of silicon with impurity selenium atoms was carried out using a newly developed technology, which allows for the formation of nanoclusters of impurity selenium atoms in the silicon lattice consisting of Se₂ and Se₄ molecules, without erosion of the surface of the samples. Self-oscillations in the \({\text{Si}}\left\langle {{\text{Se}}} \right\rangle \) samples were detected at room temperature and at sufficiently low electric fields. The dependences of the RW parameters (amplitude and frequency) in the Si\(\left\langle {{\text{Se}}} \right\rangle \) samples on the resistivity and concentration of the formed nanoclusters of selenium atoms, as well as on the influence of a magnetic field, which makes it possible to control the amplitude in the range of J = 10^–5–5 × 10^–3 A and the frequency of self-oscillations of f = 10⁴–(5 × 10⁶) Hz. The mechanism of the observed RWs is explained by the formation of nanoclusters consisting of two (Se₂) or four (Se₄) selenium atoms in silicon, which leads to the formation of fluctuations (clusters) of the main charge carriers and their reaching contact when determining the magnitude of the applied constant electric field. A possibility of practical use of self-oscillations of current observed in silicon diffusion doped with selenium impurity atoms to create solid-state generators is shown.