Surface photovoltage due to photo-thermo-ionization of surface states: GaAs

Surface photovoltage spectroscopy was employed for studying the mechanism of subuand gap photoionization transitions from surface states in GaAs surfaces. It was found that the photoionization cross-section exhibits a maximum for a photon energy of about 0.9 eV. This finding indicates a photo-thermal mechanism of photovoltage, i.e., photo-induced transitions between surface state levels and the subsequent thermal ejection of electrons from the upper level into the conduction band.     

Surface photovoltage in semiconductors under sub-band-gap illumination: continuous distribution of surface states

Surface photovoltage spectra in semiconductors are analyzed when the sub-band-gap illumination induces the electron transitions from surface states to the conduction band under the assumption that distribution of surface states is continuous. From analysis performed it follows that the fictitious densities of surface states can be induced due to the wavelength dependence of the photoionization capture cross-section of surface states for electrons and by the electron recombination capture cross-section of surface states which depends on the energy position of surface states in the energy gap. The high illumination intensity (laser illumination), which makes completely empty the surface states, can eliminate the fictious surface states when the density of surface states is not very large, the temperature of measurements is low, and the surface potential barrier is high. Received: 24 June 1998 / Accepted: 29 March 1999 / Published online: 14 June 1999     

Surface photovoltage spectroscopy of electronic surface states on cleaved germanium(111) surfaces

Surface photovoltage (SPV) measurements on UHV cleaved Ge(111) surfaces at 100 K are reported for photon energies 0.4 < ?ω < 1 eV. The SPV spectra are sensitive to surface treatment. Upon annealing to temperatures above 200°C, which is accompanied by a reconstruction change from the (2 × 1) to an (8) superstructure, the SPV spectrum shows 2 shoulders below band gap energy with threshold energies near 0.4 and 0.45 eV. These structures are interpreted in terms of electronic transitions from the valence band into empty surface state levels which are related to the (8) superstructure. Adsorbed oxygen and water vapor both cause new similar transitions from the valence band into empty surface states at 0.08 eV below the bottom of the conduction band.     

Surface passivation of boron doped a-Si:H

The kinetics of contact potential, conductivity and material relaxation of B doped a-Si:H are studied by an in-situ Kelvin probe and ellipsometry. During annealing B is passivated on the surface and reactivated in the bulk. Results are analyzed in the framework of H diffusion induced boron deactivation. A time-dependent activation energy is proposed to explain its dispersive diffusion in a-Si:H.     

Surface photovoltage spectroscopy and surface piezoelectric effect in GaAs

“Real” (111) surfaces of n-type GaAs were investigated employing surface photovoltage spectroscopy and the surface piezoelectric effect. Surface states at the energy position E_c ? E_t ? 0.72 eV were found on both the Ga and the As surfaces. Both types of surfaces exhibited a barrier of about 0.55 V. No variations in the surface barrier or the energy position of the surface states were observed in various ambients at atmospheric pressure (dry air, wet air, ammonia and ozone). However, the capture cross-section of the surface states for electrons, as determined from the surface piezoelectric effect transients (of the order of 10^?13 cm²), was found to be sensitive to the ambient. It decreased in wet air and increased in ozone. This effect was more pronounced on the As than on the Ga surfaces. Additional surface states were found to be present in the energy region of 0.9 to 1.0 eV, below the bottom of the conduction band. However, their exact energy positions could not be determined due to interference caused by the carrier trapping of the surface states at E_c ? E_t ? 0.72 eV.     

Surface photovoltage and internal photoemission at the anodized InSb surface

Surface photovoltage measurements have been made as a function of wavelength and temperature on a number of variously doped samples of n- and p-type InSb in the carrier concentration range of 8.9 × 10¹³ to 1.0 × 10¹⁸ cm^?3. The measurements were made using an MIS sandwich employing for the dielectric an anodically formed layer of In₂ O₃. Differential capacitance measurements have shown that, when cooled in the dark, the surface of the n-type material is near flat band whereas that of the p-type is depleted. Illumination with photons of energy in excess of ～ 1.5 eV leads to a shift of the surface potential to larger negative values presumably as a result of optical activation of electrons from fast interfacial surface states to slow states near the InSb surface. Internal photoemission measurements lend support to this model and suggest that, in the absence of any applied bias an internal field within the oxide causes the electrons excited from the semiconductor to move towards the metal. A theory for the surface photovoltage in the presence of a continuum of surface states is developed. It is concluded from theory, and supported by experiment, that surface trapping as well as recombination can exert a considerable influence on the photovoltaic response.     

Large-scale simulations of a-Si:H: the origin of midgap states revisited

Large-scale classical and quantum simulations are used to generate a-Si:H structures. The bond-resolved density of the occupied electron states discloses the nature of microscopic defects responsible for levels in the gap. Highly strained bonds give rise to band tails and midgap states. The latter originate mainly from stretched bonds, in addition to dangling bonds, and can act as hole traps. This study provides strong evidence for photoinduced degradation (Staebler-Wronski effect) driven by strain, thus supporting recent work on a-Si, and sheds light on the role of hydrogen.     

Hydrogen chemisorption on a-Si:H

Work function measurements, Auger-electron spectroscopy, and electron energy-loss spectroscopy were used to study the adsorption of atomic hydrogen on sputter-cleaned H-depleted surfaces of a-Si:H. Chemisorption proceeds by the formation of surface monohydride and dihydride, to be distinguished by energy-losses of 9 eV and 7 eV, resp., and by energy shifts of the L₁L₂₃V Coster-Kronig transitions. Surface hydrogeneration is also achieved by effusion of hydrogen during heat treatments at T ? 200° C. For H exposures exceeding some Langmuirs the surfaces are decomposed due to the formation of SiH₃ or SiH₄.     

基于表面势的氢化非晶硅薄膜晶体管直流特性研究

基于表面势模型,在同时考虑深能态和带尾态分布下,采用简化的费米-狄拉克函数计算得到统一的定域态模型,并利用有效特征温度的概念,推导出a-Si:H TFT统一的电流-电压(I-V)模型.该模型可不分区地描述包括亚阈值区、线性区以及饱和区等a-Si:H TFT的所有工作区域.与实验得到的I-V特性进行比较表明,本模型能够准确地描述a-Si:H TFT的各个工作区的电流电压特性.     

Surface states,local bonding,and surface reconstruction: Na on Cu(110)

Occupied and unoccupied surface states on Na/Cu(110) have been investigated by photoemission and inverse photoemission. By measuring surface state positions at the same adsorbate coverage on the reconstructed and the unreconstructed surface it is demonstrated that the surface states contribute to the total energy balance of the Na induced missing row reconstruction. During the onset of the reconstruction an up-shift of the surface states depopulates an initially occupied CuCu bonding surface state and consequently destabilizes the topmost Cu atoms. The surface state wavefunctions are qualitatively analyzed in a thight-binding LCAO picture.     

非晶态异质结构a-Si:H/a-SiNx:H和a-Si:H,a-SiNx:H薄膜的应力研究

实验发现在一定Si—H键浓度下,相对于平坦的硅衬底而言,在其上沉积的a-Si:H薄膜具有压缩应力,a-SiN_x:H薄膜具有伸张应力。当a-Si:H和a-SiN_x:H层厚度比近似于1:2时,硅衬底上生长的a-Si:H/a-SiN_x:H/c-Si样品,弯曲最小,并能保持很长时间。文中还给出了应力随退火变化的情况,并对实验结果进行了讨论。 关键词：     

Surface photovoltage and photoelectron spectra of GaP

Surface photovoltage (SPV) and photoelectron spectra (PES) of crystalline n-GaP wafers have been studied at 300 K. The magnitude of the surface potential (V_s) decreases in the presence of photons with energy more than the band gap, however the magnitude of V_s increases in the presence of photons with sub band gap energy. The SPV spectrum is helpful in understanding the rigid shift of PES spectra of n-GaP wafers towards higher kinetic energy in the presence of secondary white light from a tungsten lamp.     

Surface relaxation influenced by surface states

A detailed theoretical investigation of the relaxation of the simple metal surface Al(100) is presented. We show the influence of electronic surface states in this context. The sign and magnitude of the relaxation of the topmost atomic layers is mainly determined by the rearrangements of the surface state charge. The degree of surface relaxation convergence, with respect to the number of slab layers, is determined by the location of the surface state band relative to bulk bands.