Tutorial: Junction spectroscopy techniques and deep-level defects in semiconductors

The term junction spectroscopy embraces a wide range of techniques used to explore the properties of semiconductor materials and semiconductor devices. In this tutorial review, we describe the most widely used junction spectroscopy approaches for characterizing deep-level defects in semiconductors a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of applied physics 2018-04, Vol.123 (16)
Main Authors: Peaker, A. R., Markevich, V. P., Coutinho, J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Applied physics
Current carriers
Deep level transient spectroscopy
Density functional theory
Electrical impedance
Free energy
Gallium arsenide
Gallium nitrides
Heat of formation
Indium gallium nitrides
Minority carriers
Point defects
Resistance
Semiconductor devices
Semiconductor materials
Semiconductors
Spectrum analysis
Zinc oxide
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Summary:The term junction spectroscopy embraces a wide range of techniques used to explore the properties of semiconductor materials and semiconductor devices. In this tutorial review, we describe the most widely used junction spectroscopy approaches for characterizing deep-level defects in semiconductors and present some of the early work on which the principles of today's methodology are based. We outline ab-initio calculations of defect properties and give examples of how density functional theory in conjunction with formation energy and marker methods can be used to guide the interpretation of experimental results. We review recombination, generation, and trapping of charge carriers associated with defects. We consider thermally driven emission and capture and describe the techniques of Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy (DLTS), high resolution Laplace DLTS, admittance spectroscopy, and scanning DLTS. For the study of minority carrier related processes and wide gap materials, we consider Minority Carrier Transient Spectroscopy (MCTS), Optical DLTS, and deep level optical transient spectroscopy together with some of their many variants. Capacitance, current, and conductance measurements enable carrier exchange processes associated with the defects to be detected. We explain how these methods are used in order to understand the behaviour of point defects and the determination of charge states and negative-U (Hubbard correlation energy) behaviour. We provide, or reference, examples from a wide range of materials including Si, SiGe, GaAs, GaP, GaN, InGaN, InAlN, and ZnO.
ISSN:0021-8979
1089-7550
DOI:10.1063/1.5011327