Characterization and applications of neutron transmutation doped germanium

Technical Report · Sun May 01 00:00:00 EDT 1988

OSTI ID:6792686

Park, I S

Thermal neutron irradiation of germanium leads to gallium acceptors, arsenic and selenium donors, as well as radiation defects. Unlike other neutron transmutation doped (NTD) semiconductors in which only donor impurities are introduced, NTD germanium contains both types of dopant impurities in the ratio of acceptor:donor = 3:1. Radiation defects and the evolution of each impurity as a function of time in NTD germanium were investigated by Hall effect measurements and infrared absorption spectroscopy. The presence of radiation defects in an unannealed NTD germanium sample was clearly shown by measuring the net carrier concentration of annealed and unannealed samples as a function of time after neutron irradiation. Most of the radiation defects were removed by annealing above 400/degree/C for 1 hr. Using IR spectroscopy with bandage light illumination, it was shown that transmutation-produced gallium acceptors were electrically active without annealing after NTD, while arsenic donors were not. Further evidence showed that group V donors in irradiated germanium formed complexes with vacancies. These complexes were formed between substitutional donors and vacancies as shown by IR spectroscopy on neutron-irradiated, phosphorus-doped germanium. It was concluded that vacancies diffuse to the substitutional donor sites to form complexes. The possibility of the complex formation between interstitial donors (arsenic) and vacancies was not ruled out. Deep level defects in NTD germanium were studied after high temperature annealing (> 200/degree/C) by deep level transient spectroscopy. 118 refs., 56 figs., 7 tabs.

• Research Organization: Lawrence Berkeley Lab., CA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC03-76SF00098
• OSTI ID: 6792686
• Report Number(s): LBL-25456; ON: DE89004653
• Resource Relation: Other Information: Thesis (Ph.D.). Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
GERMANIUM
CRYSTAL DOPING
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS
USES
ABSORPTION SPECTROSCOPY
BOLOMETERS
DAMAGING NEUTRON FLUENCE
DOPED MATERIALS
GE SEMICONDUCTOR DETECTORS
HALL EFFECT
IMPURITIES
IONIZATION
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
THERMAL NEUTRONS
TRANSMUTATION
BARYONS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ELEMENTS
FERMIONS
HADRONS
MATERIALS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
METALS
NEUTRON FLUENCE
NEUTRONS
NUCLEONS
RADIATION DETECTORS
SEMICONDUCTOR DETECTORS
SPECTROSCOPY
360102* - Metals & Alloys- Structure & Phase Studies
360106 - Metals & Alloys- Radiation Effects