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Retrograde Melting and Internal Liquid Gettering in Silicon
Author(s) -
Hudelson Steve,
Newman Bonna K.,
Bernardis Sarah,
Fenning David P.,
Bertoni Mariana I.,
Marcus Matthew A.,
Fakra Sirine C.,
Lai Barry,
Buonassisi Tonio
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
advanced materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 10.707
H-Index - 527
eISSN - 1521-4095
pISSN - 0935-9648
DOI - 10.1002/adma.200904344
Subject(s) - silicon , materials science , impurity , synchrotron , getter , alloy , supercooling , homogeneous , decomposition , metallurgy , chemical engineering , optoelectronics , thermodynamics , organic chemistry , optics , chemistry , physics , engineering
Retrograde melting (melting upon cooling) is observed in silicon doped with 3d transition metals, via synchrotron‐based temperature‐dependent X‐ray microprobe measurements. Liquid metal‐silicon droplets formed via retrograde melting act as efficient sinks for metal impurities dissolved within the silicon matrix. Cooling results in decomposition of the homogeneous liquid phase into solid multiple‐metal alloy precipitates. These phenomena represent a novel pathway for engineering impurities in semiconductor‐based systems.