THE INFLUENCE OF PHOSPHORUS, ARSENIC AND ANTIMONY VAPOR AMBIENTS ON THE DIFFUSION OF ZINC INTO GALLIUM-ARSENIDE

Diffusion of Zn at high concentrations into GaAs under As-deficient ambient conditions causes generation of crystal defects like dislocation loops, elongated dislocations and Ga precipitates decorated with voids throughout the diffusion zone. Similar treatments under As vapour lead to recovery from diffusion-induced damage in a region underneath the GaAs surface. This feature is accompanied by the appearance of two distinct steps in the Zn concentration profile. Previous experiments suggested these phenomena to be connected with out-diffusion of Ga from the precipitates towards the surface. The present work shows that the replacement of As by P or Sb in the diffusion environment produces similar recovery effects. This observation provides evidence that ambient Group V elements render near-surface GaAs to an effective sink for diffusion-induced excess