DopantIonen

Dopantionen are impurity ions deliberately introduced into a host material to modify its electrical, optical, or magnetic properties. They are distinguishable from unintended contaminants by their controlled concentration and placement within the lattice or structure of the host.

In crystalline solids, dopantionen usually occupy lattice sites as substitutional dopants or reside in interstitial positions. Depending on their valence relative to the host, they create donor or acceptor states within the energy structure. In semiconductors this allows control of charge-carrier concentrations and the formation of n-type or p-type materials, which are essential for electronic devices.

In electronics, common examples include phosphorus or arsenic as donors and boron as an acceptor in silicon, enabling precise tuning of conductivity. Beyond silicon, dopants also modify properties of oxides and ceramics, affecting ionic mobility, dielectric behavior, and color. In optical materials, rare-earth ions such as erbium, neodymium, and ytterbium act as dopants to introduce sharp electronic transitions, enabling laser action and optical amplification in fibers and solid-state lasers.

Dopantionen are introduced by methods such as ion implantation, diffusion, solid-state or liquid-phase doping during crystal growth, and sol-gel or chemical routes. Activation often requires subsequent annealing to repair lattice damage and incorporate the dopants into controlled lattice sites.

Key considerations include solubility limits, lattice strain, defect formation, and charge compensation, all of which influence diffusion and clustering. Characterization uses techniques such as secondary ion mass spectrometry, electron probe microanalysis, X-ray diffraction, and optical spectroscopy to assess distribution, activation, and the resulting property changes.