Passivation of III-V Compound Semiconductor Based Devices

Abstract

Our results indicate that excellent passivation of SiNx/GaAs and SiNx/InP interfaces can be achieved using both liquid and gaseous sulfur treatments of the surface. It is important to note that the S-treated surfaces are stable in the presence of an 'soft' ECR plasma and are amenable to the environment of SiNx growth. Annealing appears to be a crucial step in achieving lower defect densities at the SiNx/III-V interfaces. A significant reduction in the interfacial defect density leads to unpinning of the Fermi-level at the interfaces. This permits fabrication of superior metal-semiconductor (both Schottky and ohmic) junctions and metal-insulator-semiconductor FETs. Furthermore, reduction of defects at the interface also reduces the surface recombination velocity, thus improving the performance of minority carrier based devices. We have demonstrated that such is indeed the case by passivating AlGaAs/GaAs based heterojunction bipolar transistors and surface-emitting lasers.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Nov 29, 1993
Accession Number
ADA276178

Entities

People

  • V. Malhotra

Organizations

  • University of HawaiĘ»i System

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Bipolar Junction Transistors
  • Compound Semiconductors
  • Dielectrics
  • Electronics Laboratories
  • Fabrication
  • Fermi Levels
  • Field Effect Transistors
  • Heterojunction Bipolar Transistors
  • Lasers
  • Materials
  • Measurement
  • Modules (Electronics)
  • Optoelectronic Devices
  • Power Electronics
  • Semiconductors
  • Surface Emitting Lasers
  • Transistors

Fields of Study

  • Materials science

Readers

  • Semiconductor Device Technology

Technology Areas

  • Directed Energy
  • Microelectronics