Assessing the effect of hydrogen on the electronic properties of 4H-SiC

As a common impurity in 4H silicon carbide (4H-SiC), hydrogen (H) may play a role in tuning the electronic properties of 4H-SiC. In this work, we systemically explore the effect of H on the electronic properties of both n-type and p-type 4H-SiC. The passivation of H on intrinsic defects such as carbon vacancies (V_C) and silicon vacancies (V_Si) in 4H-SiC is also evaluated. We find that interstitial H at the bonding center of the Si-C bond (H_i^bc) and interstitial H at the tetrahedral center of Si (H_i^Si-te) dominate the defect configurations of H in p-type and n-type 4H-SiC, respectively. In n-type 4H-SiC, the compensation of H_i^Si-te is found to pin the Fermi energy and hinder the increase of the electron concentration for highly N-doped 4H-SiC. The compensation of H_i^bc is negligible compared to that of V_C on the p-type doping of Al-doped 4H-SiC. We further examine whether H can passivate V_C and improve the carrier lifetime in 4H-SiC. It turns out that nonequilibrium passivation of V_C by H is effective to eliminate the defect states of V_C, which enhances the carrier lifetime of moderately doped 4H-SiC. Regarding the quantum-qubit applications of 4H-SiC, we find that H can readily passivate V_Si during the creation of V_Si centers. Thermal annealing is needed to decompose the resulting V_Si-nH (n=1-4) complexes and promote the uniformity of the photoluminescence of V_Si arrays in 4H-SiC. The current work may inspire the impurity engineering of H in 4H-SiC.     

Recombination of close frenkel defects in gold

The occurrence of close-vacancy-interstitial-pairs in electron-irradiated gold and the annealing temperature of this type of defect have been investigated by means of “sub-threshold” irradiations. Different samples have been irradiated with 3 MeV electrons at five different temperatures between 7.5°K and 36°K. These samples containing Frenkel defects have then been irradiated at 12°K with 1.2 MeV electrons. This energy is less than the threshold for defect production. During the sub-threshold irradiation, defect annihilation rates have been measured which depend strongly on the temperature at which the defects had been produced. For 7.5°K and 12°K they are of the same order of magnitude as were found in Al, Cu, Pt, and Ta, and were ascribed to recombination of closevacancy-interstitial-pairs. For defects produced at 22°K the annihilation rate is smaller by one order of magnitude and even smaller for defects produced at still higher temperatures. It is concluded from this that close-pairs become thermally unstable in gold between 12 and 22°K.     

CL study of yellow emission in ZnO nanostructures annealed in Ar and O2 atmospheres

The yellow emission of thermally treated undoped and In doped ZnO nanostructures was studied by the cathodoluminescence (CL) technique. CL spectra acquired at room temperature of the as-grown samples revealed two emissions at about 3.2 eV and 2.13 eV, corresponding to the near band edge and defect related emissions, respectively. On annealing the samples at 600  ^°C in Ar and O₂ atmospheres, the defect emission suffers a red shift, irrespective of the annealing atmosphere. This red shift is explained in terms of variations in the relative intensities of the two component bands centered at about 2.24 eV and 1.77 eV, which were clearly resolved in the CL spectra acquired at low temperature of the annealed samples. A decrease of the relative intensity of the yellow emission (2.24 eV) was observed for all thermally annealed samples. The annealing of zinc interstitial point defects is proposed as a possible mechanism to explain this intensity decrease.     

Z1/Z2 defects in 4H-SiC

First-principles calculations are carried out on models for the Z(1)/Z(2) defects in 4H-SiC which are found in as-grown and irradiated n-type material. We show that an interstitial-nitrogen-interstitial-carbon defect is exceptionally thermally stable, bistable, and has negative-U character with donor and acceptor levels close to those attributed to the defect.     

Reduction of the annealing temperature of radiation-induced defects in ion-implanted MOS structures

Si-SiO₂ structures irradiated with 11-MeV electrons for 10 s and then implanted with B⁺ ions with an energy of 10 keV at a dose of 1.0×10¹² cm^-2 through the oxide were annealed at different temperatures. MOS capacitors including such oxide layers were studied by quasi-static C/V and thermally stimulated current (TSC) methods. A comparison of the radiation defect annealing of double-treated (electron-irradiated and ion-implanted) samples and of implanted-only samples was carried out. It is shown that a preceding low-dose high-energy electron irradiation of the samples leads to a lowering of the annealing temperature of radiation defects introduced by ion implantation. After annealing at 500 °C for 15 min, no TSC spectra for the double-treated samples were observed. The spectra of the other samples (which were not previously irradiated) showed that after the same thermal treatment only some of the radiation defects introduced by ion implantation are annealed. The difference between the annealed interface state density of previously electron-irradiated and current MOS structures is also demonstrated. A possible explanation of the results is proposed . PACS 61.82.Fk; 85.40.Ry; 61.80.Fe     

掺杂钨酸铅晶体闪烁发光光谱研究

利用改进的晶体生长设备和工艺提高了PbWO₄闪烁晶体的光产额。通过对生长获得的PbWO₄、退火PbWO₄和BaF₂∶PbWO₄晶体的透过光谱,衰减时间和光产额等闪烁性质的研究,发现晶体退火和掺杂技术特别是阴离子掺杂技术能够显著提高晶体的闪烁发光性能。其中晶体掺杂全面提高了晶体的透过光谱强度,但是退火的影响较复杂。高温退火改善了PbWO₄晶体在360 nm以上波段的透过光谱的透过率,但是在320～360 nm波段其透过率反而降低。这些现象与晶体中缺陷在可见光波段产生的特征吸收有关。晶体的良好退火和掺杂提高了晶体的光产额,其中BaF₂∶PbWO₄掺杂晶体室温闪烁发光强度达到65 p.e.·(MeV)-1,接近PET的使用要求。这种提高与晶体F-离子掺杂引发晶体[WO₄]2-四面体基团畸变有关,F-离子进入该四面体产生了新的发光中心。     

Dopant diffusion and surface morphology of vanadium implanted 4H-silicon carbide

The diffusion behaviours of vanadium implanted p- and n-type 4H-SiC are investigated by using the secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS). Significant redistribution, especially out-diffusion of vanadium towards the sample surface is not observed after 1650℃ annealing for both p- and n-type samples. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is applied to the characterization of surface morphology, indicating the formation of continuous long furrows running in one direction across the wafer surface after 1650℃ annealing. The surface roughness results from the evaporation and re-deposition of Si species on the surface during annealing. The chemical compositions of sample surface are investigated using x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The results of C 1s and Si 2p core-level spectra are presented in detail to demonstrate the evaporation of Si from the wafer and the deposition of SiO₂ on the sample surface during annealing.     

Effect of additional silicon on titanium/4H-SiC contacts properties

The Ti electrode was deposited on the(0001) face of an n-type 4H-SiC substrate by magnetron sputtering. The effect of the electrode placement method during the annealing treatment on the contact property was carefully investigated. When the electrode was faced to the Si tray and annealed, it showed ohmic behavior, otherwise it showed a non-ohmic property.X-ray diffraction(XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS), scanning electron microscopy(SEM), and atomic force microscopy(AFM) were used to characterize the electrode phase, composition, thickness, and surface morphology. The additional silicon introduced from the Si tray played a key role in the formation of the ohmic contact on the Ti/4H-SiC contact.     

Conversion of p-type to n-type conductivity in undoped ZnO films by increasing operating temperature

ZnO thin films with the thickness of about 15 nm on (0 0 0 1) sapphire substrates were prepared by pulsed laser deposition. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy indicated that both as-grown and post-annealed ZnO thin films were oxygen-rich. H₂ sensing measurements of the films indicated that the conductivity type of both the unannealed and annealed ZnO films converted from p-type to n-type in process of increasing the operating temperature. However, the two films showed different conversion temperatures. The origin of the p-type conductivity in the unannealed and annealed ZnO films should be attributed to oxygen related defects and zinc vacancies related defects, respectively. The conversion of the conductivity type was due to the annealing out of the correlated defects. Moreover, p-type ZnO films can work at lower temperature than n-type ZnO films without obvious sensitivity loss.     

InP中深能级缺陷的产生与抑制现象

研究了原生和高温退火处理后非掺n型和半绝缘InP单晶材料中产生的缺陷.在磷气氛下退火后，n型和半绝缘InP单晶中均明显产生相当数量的深能级缺陷，而在磷化铁气氛下退火后，InP的缺陷数量明显减少.在退火过程中缺陷的产生与磷和铁的内扩散有直接关系.向内扩散的磷原子和铁原子占据晶格中铟位后，分别产生反位缺陷和铁深受主.实验结果表明，铁通过扩散充分占据了铟位，抑制了铟空位、磷反位等缺陷的形成，而磷气氛下退火后产生的缺陷有铟空位、磷反位等.对InP中的缺陷属性进行了分析. 关键词： 磷化铟 退火 缺陷     

B和H离子顺次注入单晶Si 引起的缺陷及其热演变(英文)

室温下将130 keV,5x1014 cm-2 B离子和55 keV,1x1016 cm-2 H离子单独或顺次注入到单晶Si中,采用横截面试样透射电子显微镜(XTEM)和慢正电子湮没技术(SPAT) 研究了离子注入引起的微观缺陷的产生及其热演变。XTEM观测结果显示,B 和H 离子顺次注入到单晶Si 可有效减少(111) 取向的H板层缺陷,并促进了(100) 取向的H板层缺陷的择优生长。SPAT 观测结果显示,在顺次注入的样品中,B 离子平均射程处保留了大量的空位型缺陷。以上结果表明,B离子本身及B 离子注入所产生的空位型缺陷对板层缺陷的生长起到了促进作用。Abstract:Cz n-type Si (100) wafers were singly or sequentially implanted at room temperature with 130 keV B ions at a fluence of 5x1014 cm-2 and 55 keV H ions at a fluence of 1x1016 cm-2. The implantation-induced defects were investigated in detail by using cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy (XTEM) and slow positron annihilation technique (SPAT). XTEM results clearly show that sequential implantation of B and H ions into Si could eliminate the (111) platelets and promote growth of (100) platelets during annealing. SPATmeasurements demonstrate that in B and H sequentially implanted and annealed Si, more vacancy-type defects could remain in sample region around the range of B ions. These results indicat e that the promotion effect shouldbe attributed to the role of both B and B implanted induced vacancy-type defects.     

6H-SiC辐照特性的低温光致发光研究

本文用低温光致发光(LTPL)技术对经中子辐照的N型6H-SiC在350℃-1650℃温度范围的退火行为进行了研究。在700℃退火后观察到D1中心(D1-center)和位于485.0nm、493.6nm处的发光中心。我们发现D1中心与深能级瞬态谱(DLTS)的E1/E2深能级对具有不同的退火行为,这否定了它们源于相同的辐照诱生缺陷的观点。D1中心可能源于由空位和反位组成的复合体。     

A slow positron lifetime study of the annealing behaviour of an amorphous silicon layer grown by MBE

We have studied MBE grown amorphous silicon, which was recrystallized at different temperatures for one hour, with a pulsed positron beam. A positron lifetime of 538±10 ps in the as-grown state is attributed to microvoids containing at least 10 vacancies. An incompletely recrystallized sample annealed at 500°C shows an additional long lifetime from ortho-positronium (o-Ps) pick-off annihilation. The o-Ps component disappears for samples, recrystallized at 700°C and above, and the defect lifetime steadily decreases with higher annealing temperature until a value of 310 ps is reached for the layer annealed at 1200°C. This value is explained by positron trapping at dislocations or small vacancy defects stabilized by dislocations or impurities.Paper presented at the 132nd WE-Heraeus-Seminar on Positron Studies of Semiconductor Defects, Halle, Germany, 29 August to 2 September 1994     

Annealing of γ-ray irradiated lithium compensated p-type silicon

Abstract

Annealing behavior of electrical properties and photoluminescence spectra both at 77 °K in electron-irradiated melt-grown n-GaAs were investigated. Defects electrically active in the Hall mobility and carrier removal anneal through two stages centered at 250° and 460 °K. From the temperature dependence of carrier concentration the existence of a defect level located near 0.15 eV below the conduction band is supposed. Several emission bands are resolved at 1.51, 1.47, 1.415, 1.305 and ～1.2 eV in photoluminescence experiments. Electron irradiation (1.5–2.0 MeV) causes a remarkable decrease in emission intensity of 1.51 and ～1.2 eV bands. Recovery of emission intensity occurs remarkably when samples are annealed to 520 °K which would correspond to the 460 °K annealing stage for carrier concentration and Hall mobility. The 250 °K annealing stage is not observed in photoluminescence experiments. The 1.415 eV peak appears clearly after irradiation and grows remarkably with the 520 °K annealing, especially in Si-doped samples, resulting in large reverse annealing. This band is tentatively speculated to be a complex of Si on As site with As vacancy. Moreover, in samples doped with Te a new emission band at 1.305 eV (9500 Å) is observed after 470°–620 °K annealing.     

脉冲激光退火纳米碳化硅的光致发光

采用XeCl准分子脉冲激光退火技术制备了纳米晶态碳化硅薄膜(nc-SiC),并对薄膜的光致发光(PL)特性进行了分析。结果表明,纳米SiC薄膜的光致发光表现为300～600 nm范围内的较宽发光谱带,随退火激光能量密度的增加,nc-SiC薄膜398 nm附近的发光峰相对强度增加,而470 nm附近发光峰相对减小。根据nc-SiC薄膜的结构特性变化, 认为这两个发光峰分别来源于6H-SiC导带到价带间的复合发光和缺陷态发光,并且这两种发光过程存在竞争。     

Detection of interstitial Ga in GaN

We report the direct detection of interstitial Ga by optical detection of electron paramagnetic resonance (ODEPR) in the photoluminescence of n-type GaN after irradiation in situ at 4.2 K with 2.5 MeV electrons. It is stable upon annealing until room temperature, where it becomes mobile and trapped to form a new defect which is observed to emerge as the interstitial disappears. The time constant of the process at room temperature is approximately 200 min. The emergence of another ODEPR center beginning at approximately 135 K suggests even easier migration of one of the other intrinsic defects in the GaN lattice.     

Defect study on electron irradiated GaAs by means of positron annihilation

Measurements of the positron lifetime and Doppler-broadened annihilation-radiation have been performed in electron-irradiated GaAs. The positron lifetime at the irradiation induced defects was 0.250 ns at 300 K. The defect clustering stage was found to occur at around 520–620 K, and the coarsening and annealing stage is believed to be above 620 K. Similar annealing stages were also observed in GaAs lightly doped with Si (0.2×10¹⁸ cm^–3). Both the lifetime and the S-parameter in the irradiated GaAs were found to decrease with temperature from 300 K to 100 K, suggesting the coexistence of shallow traps in electron irradiated GaAs.     

Positron lifetime spectroscopic studies of as-grown 6H-silicon carbide

Positron lifetime spectroscopy has been employed to study the as-grown n-type 1.2᎒¹⁸ cm^-3 N-doped and p-type 1.8᎒¹⁸ cm^-3 Al-doped 6H-silicon carbide in the temperature range 10 K-300 K. For the p-type material, a positron trapping site, which has a lifetime of 225ᆟ ps, was found and is attributed to positron annihilating from the V_SiV_C divacancy-related defect having a neutral charge. For the case of the n-type material, a positron trapping centre having a lifetime of 200Nj ps, attributed to a V_Si-related defect, and a shallow trap were observed. The shallow trap, having binding energy of l8 meV was attributed to Rydberg-like states resulting from positron binding with a negative ion.     

Relationship of annealing time and intrinsic defects of unintentionally doped 4H-SiC

With annealing temperature kept at 1573 K, the effects of annealing time on stability of the intrinsic defects in epitaxial unintentionally doped 4H-SiC prepared by low pressure chemical vapour deposition have been studied by electron spin resonance (ESR) and low temperature photoluminescence. This paper reports the results shown that annealing time has an important effect on the intrinsic defects in unintentionally doped 4H-SiC when annealing temperature kept at 1573 K. When the annealing time is less than 30 min, the intensity of ESR and photoluminescence is increasing with annealing time prolonged, and reaches the maximum when annealing time is 30 min. Then the intensity of ESR and photoluminescence is rapidly decreased with the longer annealing time, and much less than that of as-grown 4H-SiC when annealing time is 60 min, which should be related with the interaction among the intrinsic defects during the annealing process.     

Effect of ion implantation on quantum well infrared photodetectors

Ion implantation is a postgrowth processing technique which, when combined with annealing, can be used to tune the absorption wavelength of quantum well devices. We have implanted and annealed, three different quantum well infrared photodetector structures, and measured the absorption spectra of the samples by Fourier transform spectroscopy. The peak absorption wavelength shift of each structure has been calculated as a function of diffusion length by simulating the diffusion processes. We found different diffusion rates for the structures and attribute this to different numbers of as-grown defects. Our results indicate that agglomeration of single defects into defect clusters limits the ability of ion implantation to tune the wavelength of a structure with a higher number of as-grown defects. Thus, a structure with the lowest number of as-grown defects is most useful for fabricating a multi-color quantum well photodetector by ion implantation, because in this case ion implantation can enhance the diffusion rate considerably leading to large red- shift in peak absorption wavelength.