Au/GaAs interface annealing study by positron-lifetime spectroscopy

Structural changes of annealed Au contacts on semi-insulating GaAs have been observed by conventional positron lifetime-spectroscopy in which a significant fraction of positrons are drifted from a Na22 source to the contact by an electric field. For annealing temperatures below 200 °C it is found that the interface traps positrons into microvoids with a characteristic positron lifetime of 380±10 ps. For annealing in the range of 300-400 °C a 150±20 ps additional component appears in the lifetime spectra that is attributed to positrons annihilating from AuGa phases at the interface. The most likely explanation for this sudden onset of the positron component in the AuGa phases is that the changes in the GaAs near surface electron chemical potential, brought about by annealing, affect the interfacial dipole in such a way as to allow a favorable potential barrier for positron penetration into the metallic phase. © 1995 The American Physical Society.published_or_final_versio

Positron effective mass in silicon

The positron effective mass in Si is obtained from the first-principles calculations along various crystallographic directions. The effect of electron-positron correlation on the band mass is examined in this work. A positron pseudopotential scheme is worked out to calculate the isotropic band mass without explicitly solving the band energy. The effective mass 1.46m obtained as a sum of band mass and the positron-plasmon interaction compares very well with 1.5m obtained from the positron mobility data. © 1995 The American Physical Society.published_or_final_versio

Application of positron annihilation lifetime technique to the study of deep level transients in semiconductors

Unlike its conventional applications in lattice defect characterization, positron annihilation lifetime technique was applied to study temperature-dependent deep level transients in semiconductors. Defect levels in the band gap can be determined as they are determined by conventional deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) studies. The promising advantage of this application of positron annihilation over the conventional DLTS is that it could further extract extra microstructure information of deep-level defects, such as whether a deep level defect is vacancy related or not. A demonstration of EL2 defect level transient study in GaAs was shown and the EL2 level of 0.82±0.02 eV was obtained by a standard Arrhenius analysis, similar to that in conventional DLTS studies. © 2002 American Institute of Physics.published_or_final_versio

Low-temperature positron transport in semi-insulating GaAs

Positron diffusion and drift in semi-insulating (SI) GaAs in the temperature range of 50-300 K were studied by the slow-positron beam technique. Both the temperature-dependent positron diffusion coefficient and positron mobility were measured independently using the method reported recently [Y. Y. Shan et al., Phys. Rev. B 54, 1982 (1996)]. The experimental results are consistent with the Einstein relation. The diffusion coefficient and mobility approximately follow D +(T)=9400T -β cm 2 s -1, and μ +(T)=10 8×T -σ cm 2 V -1 s -1, with β=1.5±0.1, and σ=2.5±0.2, respectively in the temperature range of 50-300 K. The results are consistent with scattering from optical-phonon modes as the dominant scattering process for positron transport in GaAs (SI) in this temperature range. No trapped positron states were observed to 50 K.published_or_final_versio

Field effect on positron diffusion in semi-insulating GaAs

An energy-tunable monoenergetic positron beam was used to study positron diffusion in the space-charge region of an Au/GaAs(SI) (semi-insulating) Schottky contact, where the electric field reaches ∼105 V cm-1 by reverse biasing the diode. An analytical solution of the time-dependent positron drift-diffusion model under an electric field was obtained for the case of a semi-infinite body with a capturing boundary, and explains the experimental results well. A positron diffusion coefficient of 1.8±0.2 cm2 s-1, and a positron mobility of 70± 10 cm2 V-1 s-1 in GaAs(SI) at 300 K, were obtained independently. This result is consistent with the Einstein relation. The dependence of the positron current density at the Au/GaAs interface on the electric field shows that GaAs(SI) is a possible candidate for the fabrication of the field-assisted positron moderator.published_or_final_versio

418 cm-1 Raman scattering from gallium nitride nanowires: Is it a vibration mode of N-rich Ga-N bond configuration?

A Raman-active vibration mode at 418 cm-1 is observed in wurtzite gallium nitride (GaN) nanowires synthesized by different growth methods. In particular, Raman scattering measurements of a number of GaN nanowires systematically prepared by nitriding Β- Ga2 O3 nanowires at different temperatures show an interesting evolution of the mode, revealing that it is most likely the vibration mode of N-rich octahedral Ga- N6 bonds. This idea is further supported by the high-resolution transmission electron microscopic observation. © 2007 American Institute of Physics.published_or_final_versio

EL2 deep-level transient study in semi-insulating GaAs using positron-lifetime spectroscopy

Positron lifetime measurements performed on Au/GaAs samples at room temperature with an applied square-wave ac bias show a frequency dependent interlace related lifetime intensity that peaks around 0.4 Hz. The observation is explained by the ionization of the deep-donor level EL2 to EL2+ in the GaAs region adjacent to the Au/GaAs interface, causing a transient electric field to be experienced by positrons drifting towards the interface. Without resorting to temperature scanning or any Arrhenius plot the EL2 donor level is found to be located 0.80±0.01±0.05 eV below the conduction-band minimum, where the first error estimate is statistical and the second systematic. The result suggests positron annihilation may, in some instances, act as an alternative to capacitance transient spectroscopies in characterizing deep levels in both semiconductors and semi-insulators.published_or_final_versio

Study of DX center in Cd0.8Zn0.2Te:CI by positron annihilation

Variable energy positron beam and positron annihilation lifetime experiments have been carried out to study the DX center in Cd0.8Zn0.2Te:Cl at 50 K. A short positron effective diffusion length of 275±25 Å and a large intensity of 79.0%±0.3% for the long lifetime component indicate a strong trapping effect at DX centers. A trapping rate of κ=1.53±0.05×109 s-1 and a positron lifetime of 335±2 ps at the DX center were obtained. The concentration of DX centers is found to be 5.9 ±0.7×1016 cm-3, which is in good agreement with the results obtained using Hall effect and thermo-electric effect measurements. © 1998 American Institute of Physics.published_or_final_versio

Positron-annihilation study of compensation defects in InP

Positron-annihilation lifetime and positron-annihilation Doppler-broadening (PADB) spectroscopies have been employed to investigate the formation of vacancy-type compensation defects in n-type undoped liquid encapsulated Czochrolski grown InP, which undergoes conduction-type conversions under high temperature annealing. N-type InP becomes p-type semiconducting by short time annealing at 700°C, and then turns into n-type again after further annealing but with a much higher resistivity. Long time annealing at 950°C makes the material semi-insulating. Positron lifetime measurements show that the positron average lifetime τ av increases from 245 ps to a higher value of 247 ps for the first n-type to p-type conversion and decreases to 240 ps for the ensuing p-type to n-type conversion. The value of τ av increases slightly to 242 ps upon further annealing and attains a value of 250 ps under 90 h annealing at 950°C. These results together with those of PADB measurements are explained by the model proposed in our previous study. The correlation between the characteristics of positron annihilation and the conversions of conduction type indicates that the formation of vacancy-type defects and the progressive variation of their concentrations during annealing are related to the electrical properties of the bulk InP material. © 2002 American Institute of Physics.published_or_final_versio

Positron-lifetime study of compensation defects in undoped semi-insulating InP

Positron-lifetime and infrared-absorption spectroscopies have been used to investigate the compensation defects that render undoped n-type liquid encapsulated Czochralski-grown InP semi-insulating under high-temperature annealing. The positron measurements, carried out over the temperature range of 25-300 K, reveal in the as-grown material a positron lifetime of 282±5 ps which we associate with either the isolated indium vacancy V 3- In or related hydrogen complexes. The shallow donor complex V InH 4, responsible for much of the n-type conductivity and the strong infrared absorption signal at 4320 nm, is ruled out as a significant trapping site on the grounds that its neutral state is present at too low a concentration. After annealing at 950°C, in conjunction with the disappearance of the V InH 4 infrared-absorption signal, trapping into V In-related centers is observed to increase slightly, and an additional positron trapping defect having a lifetime of 330 ps appears at a concentration of ∼10 16 cm -3, indicating divacancy trapping. These results support the recent suggestion that the V InH 4 complex present in as-grown InP dissociates during annealing, forming V InH (3-n)- n (0≤n≤3) complexes and that the recombination of V In with a phosphorus atom results in the formation of EL2-like deep donor P In antisite defect, which compensates the material. It is suggested that the divacancy formed on annealing is V InV P, and that this defect is probably a by-product of the P In antisite formation.published_or_final_versio