Abstract
In‐diffusion and annealing kinetics of Pd in silicon were investigated with deep‐level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) on P+NN+ structures. The substitutional palladium concentration was monitored through the measurement of the electrically active centers. The study of the in‐diffusion process at temperatures ranging from 880 to 1050°C show that Pd diffuses in Si mainly via the so‐called kick‐out mechanism. The annealing was performed at 550°C on wafers homogeneously supersaturated with Pd. After this process, a decrease of the electrical activity of Pd in the bulk was observed. The experimental results suggest that during the annealing the substitutional Pd changes its configuration through interactions with vacancies via the dissociative reaction.