Conduction mechanisms in ion-irradiated InGaAs layers

Abstract

The electrical and optical properties of H+- and Au+-irradiated InGaAs layers were studied using Hall-effect, van der Pauw, and relaxation-time measurements. Comparing the different results allows us to obtain information on the nature of the defects created by these two irradiations. Proton irradiation introduces donor-acceptor paired defects. Gold-ion irradiation creates neutral defect clusters and ionized point defects. The carrier mobilities in all of the irradiated materials are degraded, decreasing with increasing irradiation dose. A scattering model taking into account the paired defects is developed and the mobility evolution calculated from this model agrees with the experimental data of both annealed and unannealed samples. The photocurrent spectra reveal a metallic conduction in the band gap in the case of light-ion irradiation, while such type of conduction does not appear for heavy-ion irradiation. This metallic conduction is a consequence of band tailing induced by shallow defects and vanishes when the material is annealed at 400°C. The proton irradiation-induced defects appear to be related to the EL-2-like defects.