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Passivation of GaAs by silicon nitride (SixNy) deposition using low-frequency PECVD (LF PECVD) is presented. The high amount of hydrogen implantation during this process enhances the passivation effect, demonstrating for the first time the unpinning of the Fermi level by a simple deposition of SixNy on a deoxidised GaAs surface. The (NH4)2S/SixNy passivation is also simplified, and MIS capacitors are fabricated by a novel process, which consists in exposing the GaAs surface directly to sulphur solution, without the usual deoxidation etching step, followed by the deposition of LF PECVD SixNy. Good modulation of the surface potential is observed, and the interface state density (Dit) as measured from 1 MHz C–V characteristics has a minimum of 3×1011 cm−2 eV−1.
Inspec keywords: gallium arsenide; III-V semiconductors; silicon compounds; ion implantation; passivation; Fermi level; MIS capacitors; plasma CVD; hydrogen; surface potential; interface states; sputter etching
Other keywords:
Subjects: Plasma applications in manufacturing and materials processing; Capacitors; Surface treatment and degradation in semiconductor technology; Semiconductor doping; Doping and implantation of impurities; Surface states, surface band structure, surface electron density of states; Metal-insulator-semiconductor structures; Thin film growth, structure, and epitaxy; Chemical vapour deposition; Chemical vapour deposition; Surface treatment (semiconductor technology)