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Title: Suppression of compensating native defect formation during semiconductor processing via excess carriers

Abstract

In many semiconductors, compensating defects set doping limits, decrease carrier mobility, and reduce minority carrier lifetime thus limiting their utility in devices. Native defects are often responsible. Suppressing the concentrations of compensating defects during processing close to thermal equilibrium is difficult because formation enthalpies are lowered as the Fermi level moves towards the majority band edge. Excess carriers, introduced for example by photogeneration, modify the formation enthalpy of semiconductor defects and thus can be harnessed during crystal growth or annealing to suppress defect populations. Herein we develop a rigorous and general model for defect formation in the presence of steady-state excess carrier concentrations by combining the standard quasi-chemical formalism with a detailed-balance description that is applicable for any defect state in the bandgap. Considering the quasi-Fermi levels as chemical potentials, we demonstrate that increasing the minority carrier concentration increases the formation enthalpy for typical compensating centers, thus suppressing their formation. Furthermore, this effect is illustrated for the specific example of GaSb. While our treatment is generalized for excess carrier injection or generation in semiconductors by any means, we provide a set of guidelines for applying the concept in photoassisted physical vapor deposition.

Authors:
 [1];  [2]
  1. National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
  2. Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
OSTI Identifier:
1260143
Report Number(s):
NREL/JA-5K00-66494
Journal ID: ISSN 2045-2322
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC36-08GO28308
Resource Type:
Journal Article: Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Scientific Reports
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 6; Journal ID: ISSN 2045-2322
Publisher:
Nature Publishing Group
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
14 SOLAR ENERGY; 71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSICS; semiconductors; defects; processing; electronic devices

Citation Formats

Alberi, Kirstin, and Scarpulla, M. A. Suppression of compensating native defect formation during semiconductor processing via excess carriers. United States: N. p., 2016. Web. doi:10.1038/srep27954.
Alberi, Kirstin, & Scarpulla, M. A. Suppression of compensating native defect formation during semiconductor processing via excess carriers. United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep27954
Alberi, Kirstin, and Scarpulla, M. A. 2016. "Suppression of compensating native defect formation during semiconductor processing via excess carriers". United States. https://doi.org/10.1038/srep27954. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1260143.
@article{osti_1260143,
title = {Suppression of compensating native defect formation during semiconductor processing via excess carriers},
author = {Alberi, Kirstin and Scarpulla, M. A.},
abstractNote = {In many semiconductors, compensating defects set doping limits, decrease carrier mobility, and reduce minority carrier lifetime thus limiting their utility in devices. Native defects are often responsible. Suppressing the concentrations of compensating defects during processing close to thermal equilibrium is difficult because formation enthalpies are lowered as the Fermi level moves towards the majority band edge. Excess carriers, introduced for example by photogeneration, modify the formation enthalpy of semiconductor defects and thus can be harnessed during crystal growth or annealing to suppress defect populations. Herein we develop a rigorous and general model for defect formation in the presence of steady-state excess carrier concentrations by combining the standard quasi-chemical formalism with a detailed-balance description that is applicable for any defect state in the bandgap. Considering the quasi-Fermi levels as chemical potentials, we demonstrate that increasing the minority carrier concentration increases the formation enthalpy for typical compensating centers, thus suppressing their formation. Furthermore, this effect is illustrated for the specific example of GaSb. While our treatment is generalized for excess carrier injection or generation in semiconductors by any means, we provide a set of guidelines for applying the concept in photoassisted physical vapor deposition.},
doi = {10.1038/srep27954},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1260143}, journal = {Scientific Reports},
issn = {2045-2322},
number = ,
volume = 6,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Jun 21 00:00:00 EDT 2016},
month = {Tue Jun 21 00:00:00 EDT 2016}
}

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Cited by: 29 works
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