Complete set of deep traps in semi-insulating GaAs

Abstract

Reevaluation and recalculation of thermally stimulated current (TSC) data from semi-insulating (SI) GaAs, published by many different authors over a period of three decades were done by means of the new analytical method, simultaneous multiple peak analysis (SIMPA). The SIMPA procedure clearly resolved contributions from various overlapping TSC peaks and enabled the precise determination of signatures (activation energy, Ea and capture cross section, σ) of all observed deep traps. The analyzed TSC spectra refer to SI GaAs samples that have been grown/treated in quite different ways (various growth techniques, growth under As or Ga rich conditions, different annealing procedures, irradiation with neutrons, γ rays, etc.). Although the SIMPA procedure was applied to apparently quite different TSC spectra, in all cases excellent fits were achieved, with the unique set (or subset from it) of eleven different deep traps, the only difference being in relative and absolute concentrations of traps. Despite a broad variety of samples analyzed in this article, the set of deep traps obtained is the same as the one being previously seen in the narrow range of SI GaAs samples. This finding suggests that this set of traps is a finite and complete set of all defects with deep levels in SI GaAs. It was also concluded that these defects are primarily complexes containing simple native defects.