Patent Number: 
Section: claims

1. A method of making a silicon-based semiconductor material comprising:introducing a master alloy comprising Si and Si31 radioisotope into a base Si material to form a transition material comprising atoms of the Si31 radioisotope within a Si crystal lattice structure; andaging the transition material to convert at least a portion of the Si31 radioisotope atoms to P31 atoms retained in the Si crystal lattice structure to thereby form a silicon-based material doped with P31. 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the amount of P31 in the silicon-based semiconductor material is above an equilibrium solubility limit of phosphorous in silicon as determined by a standard Si—P phase diagram. 3. The method of claim 2, wherein the equilibrium solubility limit is a room temperature solubility limit. 4. The method of claim 1, wherein the amount of P31 retained in the Si crystal lattice structure is from 0.0001 to 40 atomic percent of the Si crystal lattice structure. 5. The method of claim 1, wherein the amount of P31 retained in the Si crystal lattice structure is at least 0.001 atomic percent of the Si crystal lattice structure. 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the amount of P31 retained in the Si crystal lattice structure is from 0.01 to 30 atomic percent of the Si crystal lattice structure. 7. The method of claim 1, wherein the master alloy is introduced into molten base Si material. 8. The method of claim 7, wherein the master alloy is introduced at a temperature above room temperature into the molten base Si material. 9. The method of claim 1, wherein the master alloy comprises from 0.005 to 50 atomic percent Si31 radioisotope. 10. The method of claim 1, wherein the master alloy comprises from 0.05 to 40 atomic percent Si31 radioisotope. 11. The method of claim 1, wherein the Si crystal lattice structure is face-centered-cubic, and the P31 atoms randomly occupy sites within the face-centered-cubic structure. 12. The method of claim 1, wherein the silicon-based semiconductor material has a conductivity of from 105 to 1017 per ohms·m.