Thermodynamic stability of high phosphorus concentration in silicon nanostructures

In this work we focus on P doping of Si nanocrystals (NCs) embedded in a SiO2 matrix. We prove that, at equilibrium, high P concentrations within the Si NCs are thermodynamically favoured. We experimentally estimate the energy barriers for P diffusion in SiO2 and trapping/de-trapping at the SiO2/Si NCs interface, obtaining a complete picture of the system at equilibrium.