An optical and magnetic resonance study of point defects in silicon, diamond, and aluminum nitride

Optical and magnetic resonance studies of point defects in silicon, diamond, and aluminum nitride semiconducting crystals are described in this dissertation.;In silicon, an optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) study of a sulfur-related defect with two stable configurations, ;In diamond, a 1.4 eV Ni-related band with very sharp zero-phonon lines is studied using magnetic circular dichroism in absorption (MCDA). A tunable laser was used to directly measure circular polarization properties of transitions between individual Zeeman-split spin states. The Zeeman study also provided a determination of their associated g-values. A comparison with a theoretical model involving intra-d-shell transitions of Ni indicates that a transition from a ground state of ;Finally, a PLODMR study of several aluminum nitride crystals is also presented. The crystals were observed to emit a broad PL band comprised of numerous overlapping bands, each with its own signature ODMR signal. These new spectra include four effective spin S = 1 centers and a pair of S = 1/2 centers exhibiting characteristics expected for distant-pair recombinations. Two recombination models, either of which may explain a pair of S = 1 centers that appear to be related, are discussed.