Characterization of process and radiation induced defects in Si and Ge using conventional deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) and Laplace-DLTS

Defects in semiconductors are crucial to device operation, as they can either be beneficial or detrimental to the device operation depending on the application. For efficient devices it is important to characterize the defects in semiconductors so that those defects that are bad are eliminated and those that are useful can be controllably introduced. In this thesis, deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) and high-resolution Laplace-DLTS (LDLTS) have been used to characterize deep level defects introduced by energetic particles (electrons or Ar ions) and during metallization using electron beam deposition on silicon and germanium. Schottky diodes were used to form the space-charge region required in DLTS and LDLTS measurements. From the DLTS and LDLTS measurements the activation enthalpy required to ionize a trap, ET, and defect carrier capture cross-section ó were deduced. LDLTS proved particularly useful since it could separate deep levels with closely spaced energy levels (the limit being defects with emission rates separated by a factor greater than 2), which was not possible by conventional DLTS. The majority carrier traps in gallium-, boron- and phosphorus-doped silicon introduced after MeV electron irradiation and during electron beam deposition have been characterized, and several defects such as the divacancy, A-center and E-center and other complex defects were observed after the two processes. Annealing studies have shown that all deep levels are removed in silicon after annealing between 500°C-600°C. Both electron and hole traps introduced in n-type germanium by electron irradiation, Ar sputtering and after electron beam deposition have been characterized using DLTS and LDLTS. The E-center is the most common defect introduced in germanium after MeV electron irradiation and during electron beam deposition. Annealing shows that defects in germanium were removed by low thermal budget of between 350°C - 400°C and it has been deduced that the E-center (V-Sb) in germanium anneals by diffusion. The identification of some of the defects was achieved by using defect properties such as defect signature, introduction rates, annealing behavior and annealing mechanisms, and then comparing these properties to theoretical defect models and results from other techniques.Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2010.Physicsunrestricte

Characterisation of defects in electron irradiated Ga-or B-doped CZ Silicon using Laplace DLTS

We have measured the electrical and annealing properties of defects created in Czochralski grown Si doped with either B or Ga by electron irradiation using both conventional and Laplace(L)-DLTS. With L-DLTS, we have been able to resolve several defects that cannot be resolved using conventional DLTS. L-DLTS provides a new avenue to study defect introduction rates and annealing kinetics in B- and Ga-doped Si. The isochronal annealing behaviour of the defects was also investigated

Current-voltage temperature characteristics of Au/n-Ge (1 0 0) Schottky diodes

The variation in electrical characteristics of Au/n-Ge (1 0 0) Schottky contacts have been systematically investigated as a function of temperature using current-voltage (I-V) measurements in the temperature range 140-300 K. The I-V characteristics of the diodes indicate very strong temperature dependence. While the ideality factor n decreases, the zero-bias Schottky barrier height (SBH) ( ɸʙ) increases with the increasing temperature. The I-V characteristics are analysed using the thermionic emission (TE) model and the assumption of a Gaussian distribution of the barrier heights ɸʙ vs. ½ kT plot has been used to show the evidence of a Gaussian distribution of barrier heights and values of ɸʙ = 0.615 eV and standard deviation σs0 = 0.00858 eV for the mean barrier height and zero-bias standard deviation have been obtained from this plot, respectively. The Richardson constant and the mean barrier height from the modified Richardson plot were obtained as 1.37 A cm-2 K-2 and 0.639 eV, respectively. This Richardson constant is much smaller than the reported of 50 A cm-2 K-2. This may be due to greater inhomogeneities at the interface.The South African National Research Foundationhttp://www.elsevier.com/locate/physbnf201

Deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) study of defects introduced in antimony doped Ge by 2 MeV proton irradiation

Please read the abstract in the article.The South African National Research Foundation and Monash University, South Africa.http://www.elsevier.com/locate/physbnf201

dc-Hydrogen plasma induced defects in bulk n-Ge

Bulk antimony doped germanium (n-Ge) has been exposed to a dc-hydrogen plasma. Capacitance-voltage depth profiles revealed extensive near surface passivation of the shallow donors as evidenced by ˜ a 1.5 orders of magnitude reduction in the free carrier concentration up to depth of ˜ 3.2 µm. DLTS and Laplace-DLTS revealed a prominent electron trap 0.30 eV below the conduction (Ec-0.30 eV). The concentration of this trap increased with plasma exposure time. The depth profile for this defect suggested a uniform distribution up to 1.2 µm. Annealing studies show that this trap, attributed to a hydrogen-related complex, is stable up to 200 °C. Hole traps, or vacancy-antimony centers, common in this material after high energy particle irradiation, were not observed after plasma exposure, an indication that this process does not create Frenkel (V-I) pairs.The South African Research Chair’s Initiative of the Department of Science and Technology, National Research Foundation, as well as by the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU).http://www.elsevier.com/locate/phys

Determination of the laterally homogeneous barrier height of palladium Schottky barrier diodes on n-Ge (1 1 1)

We have studied the experimental linear relationship between barrier heights and ideality factors for palladium (Pd) on bulk-grown (1 1 1) Sb-doped n-type germanium (Ge) metal-semiconductor structures with a doping density of about 2.5×1015 cm−3. The Pd Schottky contacts were fabricated by vacuum resistive evaporation. The electrical analysis of the contacts was investigated by means of current–voltage (I–V) and capacitance–voltage (C–V) measurements at a temperature of 296 K. The effective barrier heights from I–V characteristics varied from 0.492 to 0.550 eV, the ideality factor n varied from 1.140 to 1.950, and from reverse bias capacitance–voltage (C−2–V) characteristics the barrier height varied from 0.427 to 0.509 eV. The lateral homogenous barrier height value of 0.558 eV for the contacts was obtained from the linear relationship between experimental barrier heights and ideality factors. Furthermore the experimental barrier height distribution obtained from I–V and (C−2−V) characteristics were fitted by Gaussian distribution function, and their mean values were found to be 0.529 and 0.463 eV, respectively

Electrical characterisation of ruthenium Schottky contacts on n-Ge (1 0 0)

Please read abstract in the article.The South African National Research Foundationhttp://www.elsevier.com/locate/physbnf201

Annealing and surface conduction on hydrogen peroxide treated bulk melt grown, single crystal ZnO

We report on the studies carried out on hydrogen peroxide treated melt grown, bulk single crystal ZnO samples. Results show the existence of two shallow donors in the as-received ZnO samples with energy levels (37.8 ± 0.3) meV that has been suggested as Zni related and possibly H-complex related and (54.5 ± 0.9) meV which has been assigned to an Al-related donor. Annealing studies performed on the hydrogen peroxide treated samples reveal the existence of a conductive channel in the samples in which new energy levels have been observed, Zn vacancies, related to the Group I elements, XZn. The surface donor volume concentration of the conductive channel was calculated from theory developed by D. C. Look [1]. Results indicate an increase in surface volume concentration with increasing annealing temperature from 6.0´1017 cm-3 at 200°C to 4.37´1018 cm-3 at 800°C.South African National Research Foundationhttp://www.elsevier.com/locate/physbhb2013ai201

Field dependence of the E1' and M3' electron traps in inductively coupled Ar plasma treated n-Gallium Arsenide

Inductively coupled Ar plasma etching of n-type (Si doped) Gallium Arsenide (GaAs) introduces several electron traps, Ec – 0.04 eV (labelled E10), Ec – 0.19 eV, Ec – 0.31 eV, Ec – 0.53 eV, and Ec – 0.61 eV (behaving like the well documented M3 and labelled M30 in this study), of which the metastable defects Ec – 0.04eV (E10 ), and Ec – 0.07 eV are novel. Furthermore, E10 and M30 exhibit strong field enhanced carrier emission. Double-correlation deep level transient spectroscopy was used to investigate the field dependent emission behaviour of these two defects. It is shown that for both traps, the observed enhanced emission is due to phonon assisted tunnelling. The latter observation is contrary to the literature reports suggesting that enhanced carrier emission for M3 occurs via the Poole-Frenkel mechanism.http://jap.aip.org/nf201

Ar plasma induced deep levels in epitaxial n-GaAs

Ar plasma etching of n-type (Si doped) GaAs introduces several electron traps (Ec - 0.04 eV, Ec - 0.07 eV, Ec - 0.19 eV, Ec - 0.31 eV, Ec - 0.53 eV, and Ec - 0.61 eV). The trap, Ec - 0.04 eV, labelled E10 and having a trap signature similar to irradiation induced defect E1, appears to be metastable. Ec - 0.31 eV and Ec - 0.61 eV are metastable too and they are similar to the M3/M4 defect configuration present in hydrogen plasma exposed n-GaAs.South African National Research Foundationhttp://jap.aip.org/nf201