Theoretical intrinsic lifetime limit of shallow donor states in silicon

The intrinsic lifetime of the 2 p0 shallow impurity state in silicon doped with P, As, Sb, or Bi has been computed by combining matrix elements of the electron-phonon coupling within the density-functional perturbation theory, with the envelope function approximation for the impurity wave functions. The theoretical lifetime due to the electronic interaction with intervalley phonons has been found to be 1.1 ns for P-doped silicon, and this theoretical limit is much longer than has been previously believed for the last five decades.