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Direct Evidence for Interstitial Carbon in Heavily Carbon-Doped GaAs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2011

G. E. HÖFler ,
J. Klatt ,
J. N. Baillargeon ,
R. S. Averback ,
K. Y. Cheng  and
K C. Hsieh
G. E. HÖFler
Affiliation:
Center for Compound Semiconductors Microelectronics
J. Klatt
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
J. N. Baillargeon
Affiliation:
Center for Compound Semiconductors Microelectronics
R. S. Averback
Affiliation:
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
K. Y. Cheng
Affiliation:
Center for Compound Semiconductors Microelectronics
K C. Hsieh
Affiliation:
Center for Compound Semiconductors Microelectronics
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Abstract

Carbon is a promising p-type dopant in GaAs/AlxGa1−xAs heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBT) because of its low atomic mobility and its potential for achieving very high carrier concentrations. It is generally believed that carbon incorporates substitutionally on the column V sublattice. However, an anomalous behavior at carrier concentrations > 5 × 1019 cm−3 is observed in the electrical properties of carbon doped layers. The strain sustained in these layers may be explained by the presence of interstitial carbon.

We used Rutherford Backscattering Spectrometry in channeling geometry utilizing the nuclear reaction 12C (d,p)13C to determine the lattice locations of carbon in GaAs. The data presented unambiguously show, that up to 25% of the carbon atoms occupy interstitial sites. The presence of interstitial carbon is of importance for applications, since interstitial carbon may exhibit an enhanced diffusivity altering nominally abrupt dopant profiles.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 240: Symposium E – Advanced III-V Compound Semiconductor Growth, Processing and Devices , 1991 , 51
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1992

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References

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