International Journal of Physics | Vol. 2, No. 9, September 2011 | pp. 68–75
DOI: 10.46882/2011/IJP/000021
Article Type: Original Research Paper
Title: Investigation of Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy Profiles in Electron-Irradiated Gallium Arsenide Schottky Barrier Diodes
Names of Authors: O. M. Kolawole¹, F. K. Richter²
Authors’ Affiliations: ¹Department of Physics, University of Jos, Jos, Nigeria; ²Institute of Solid State Physics, Technical University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Abstract: Semiconductor devices operating in high-radiation environments, such as aerospace systems and particle accelerators, experience structural degradation due to displacement damage. This study investigates the formation and electrical properties of deep-level defects in n-type gallium arsenide (GaAs) Schottky barrier diodes exposed to 1.0 MeV electron irradiation. Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy (DLTS) was employed to monitor capacitance transients across a temperature range of 77 K to 400 K. The irradiation fluence was systematically varied from 1.0 x 10¹⁴ to 5.0 x 10¹⁵ electrons/cm². The DLTS spectrums revealed three prominent electron traps, labeled E1, E2, and E3, located at 0.12 eV, 0.38 eV, and 0.57 eV below the conduction band edge, respectively. The dominant E3 trap, linked to arsenic vacancy-interstitial pairs, displayed an electron capture cross-section of 1.4 x 10⁻¹⁵ cm². Our data show that the trap concentration increases linearly with electron fluence, causing a severe reduction in carrier concentration and a 42% drop in diode forward current density. Isothermal annealing cycles executed at 500 K showed a 75% recovery of the electrical profiles within 60 minutes, driven by defect recombination pathways. These quantitative measurements refine defect kinetics parameters required for fabricating radiation-hardened arsenide devices.
Keywords: Deep level transient spectroscopy; Gallium arsenide; Electron irradiation; Schottky diodes; Electron traps; Capture cross-section; Defect annealing; Displacement damage.
Manuscript Timeline: Received: June 15, 2011; Revised: July 28, 2011; Accepted: August 20, 2011; Published: September 08, 2011.
Citation: Kolawole, O. M., & Richter, F. K. (2011). Investigation of Deep Level Transient Spectroscopy Profiles in Electron-Irradiated Gallium Arsenide Schottky Barrier Diodes. International Journal of Physics, 2(9), 68–75.
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