Internal gettering of oxygen in III-V compound semiconductors

• Main Authors: DE SOUZA, JOEL P, BARATTE, HERVE, SADANA, DEVENDRA K
• Format: Patent
• Language: English; French; German
• Published: 19.08.1992
• Subjects: BASIC ELECTRIC ELEMENTS; ELECTRIC SOLID STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; ELECTRICITY; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ARTCOLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS

A method and article of manufacture are disclosed comprising substantially increasing the electrical activation and mobility of electrons in a III-V semiconductor material containing minor amounts of oxygen by doping a III-V crystalline material with an n-type dopant and adding or implanting an oxygen reactive element in the III-V material where the doses of dopant and implanted oxygen reactive element are low enough to effect this increase. These doses typically do not exceed about 1E13 cm<-> and 4.5E12 cm<-> respectively. The added or implanted oxygen reactive element preferably is at a dose less than the n-type dopant. Experimental data indicate that the added or implanted oxygen reactive element acts as a gettering agent to form an oxygen depleted zone between dopant and oxygen reactive element regions.