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Spin-dependent recombination involving oxygen-vacancy complexes in silicon

Spin-dependent relaxation and recombination processes in $γ$-irradiated $n$-type Czochralski-grown silicon are studied using continuous wave (cw) and pulsed electrically detected magnetic resonance (EDMR). Two processes involving the SL1 center, the neutral excited triplet state of the oxygen-vacancy complex, are observed which can be separated by their different dynamics. One of the processes is the relaxation of the excited SL1 state to the ground state of the oxygen-vacancy complex, the other a charge transfer between $^{31}$P donors and SL1 centers forming close pairs, as indicated by electrically detected electron double resonance. For both processes, the recombination dynamics are studied with pulsed EDMR techniques. We demonstrate the feasibility of true zero-field cw and pulsed EDMR for spin 1 systems and use this to measure the lifetimes of the different spin states of SL1 also at vanishing external magnetic field.