Published online by Cambridge University Press: 21 February 2011
Diffusion of gold in silicon has been studied by means of the spreading-resistance technique on dislocation-free, moderately dislocated and highly dislocated Si crystals. The penetration profiles not only show the general tendency that Au diffusion increases as a function of dislocation density, but also reveal qualitative differences between these three classes of specimens. It is demonstrated how within the framework of the kick-out model from the experimental data detailed information on both Au diffusion and Si self-diffusion can be obtained. In turn, the observed influence of dislocations on the diffusion of Au in Si represents a convincing confirmation of the kick-out mechanism.