Simulation study of ion implanted defects associated to luminescence centers in silicon

Ion implantation is a technique commonly used in the fabrication of semiconductor devices. The introduction of ions generates a large concentration of defects in the Si lattice. The presence of these defects can adversely affect the device performance. Conversely, in more recent years, ion induced defects have opened the possibility of new Si based optoelectronic devices. The areas which are currently being explored for efficient light emission in Si include luminescence through optically active defect clusters and extended defects. An interstitial related luminescence centre which is often present in ion implanted Si is the W-center. In this work we analyzed by KMC simulations the influence of the presence of B atoms and the annealing temperature on the density of Si interstitial defects in ion implanted samples, which in turn affect the luminescence of the W-center.