Interaction of radiation defects with nickel atom clusters in silicon

Based on infrared microscopic studies, we show that clusters of impurity nickel atoms are uniformly distributed over the entire volume of the silicon crystal; by varying the density of the clusters in silicon exposed to γ-radiation, it is possible to control the concentration of the electroactive atoms and the structure of the nickel clusters. It is shown that the presence of clusters in the lattice significantly increases the radiation resistance of the silicon.