Three-Dimensional Atomic Structure of Metastable Nanoclusters in Doped Semiconductors

Aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy is used to determine the atomic structure of nanoclusters of cerium dopant atoms embedded in silicon. By channeling electrons along two crystallographic orientations, we identify a characteristic zinc-blende chemical ordering within CeSi clusters coherent with the silicon host matrix. Strain energy limits the size of these ordered arrangements to just above 1 nm. With the local …