Simulation of cluster evaporation and transient enhanced diffusion in silicon

The evaporation of {311} self-interstitial clusters has recently been linked to the phenomenon of transient enhanced diffusion in silicon. A theory of cluster evaporation is described, based on first-order kinetic equations. It is shown to give a good account of the data over a range of temperatures. The theory simultaneously explains several of the unexpected features of transient enhanced diffusion, including the apparently steady level of the enhancement during its duration, and the dependence of the duration on implant energy and dose. The binding energy used to match the theory to data is in good agreement with molecular dynamics calculations of cluster stability in silicon.