Precipitation of neutral iron (${\mathrm{Fe}}^0$) in n-type silicon (Si) and the generation of iron-acceptor pairs controlled by diffusion of positively charged iron (${\mathrm{Fe}}^{+}$) in p-type Si are investigated by means of electron spin resonance (ESR). The temperature range in which the diffusion of ${\mathrm{Fe}}^{+}$ is active is found to be lower than that of ${\mathrm{Fe}}^0$ from isochronal annealing experiments. Analyses of isothermal annealing experiments at various temperatures show that the activation energies for diffusion of ${\mathrm{Fe}}^0$ and ${\mathrm{Fe}}^{+}$ are 0.80 and 0.68 eV, respectively.

• Received 3 March 1992

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.46.1882