Revised role for the Poole--Frenkel effect in deep-level characterization

Journal Article · Fri Jul 15 00:00:00 EDT 1988 · J. Appl. Phys.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.341907· OSTI ID:7006369

Buchwald, W R; Johnson, N M

The Poole--Frenkel effect is commonly used to decide between donorlike and acceptorlike electronic character for deep-level defects in semiconductors. However, there exists at least one defect, the EL2 center in GaAs, which is experimentally established to be a deep donor and yet does not exhibit the classical Poole--Frenkel effect for thermal emission of electrons. In this communication it is proposed that the existence of another well-documented deep-level phenomenon can suppress the Poole--Frenkel effect. Namely, a thermally activated capture cross section, which identifies an energy barrier to carrier capture and is commonly ascribed to a multiphonon emission process, introduces additional mechanisms which can alter the predominance of the Coulombic potential of the emitted carrier so as to suppress the electric-field-induced barrier lowering. A simple one-dimensional model is analyzed to qualitatively illustrate the combined phenomena.

• Research Organization: U.S. Army Electronics Technology and Devices Laboratory, Fort Monmouth, New Jersey 07703-5000
• OSTI ID: 7006369
• Journal Information: J. Appl. Phys.; (United States), Vol. 64:2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
DIELECTRIC MATERIALS
CRYSTAL DEFECTS
THERMIONIC EMISSION
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS
GALLIUM ARSENIDES
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
ONE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
ARSENIC COMPOUNDS
ARSENIDES
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
EMISSION
GALLIUM COMPOUNDS
MATERIALS
PNICTIDES
360602* - Other Materials- Structure & Phase Studies