Characterizations of deep levels in SnTe-doped GaSb by admittance spectroscopy

A dominant deep level with an activation energy of 0.23-0.26 eV was observed by admittance spectroscopy for SnTe-doped GaSb layers grown directly on GaAs substrates by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). The activation energy and capture cross section of the deep level are similar to the levels detected in S-doped and Te-doped GaSb grown by MBE, indicating that this deep level originates either from a native defect or a common impurity in n-type GaSb. The Sb-4/Ga flux ratio was found to affect the Hall mobility and concentration of the deep level in a similar way, with an optimal beam equivalent pressure ratio around 7 obtained for GaSb grown at 550 degrees C, which should correspond to the lowest ratio to maintain a Sb-stabilized surface reconstruction. Analysis of this result suggests that the deep level seen by us is a complex defect. (C) 1996 American Institute of Physics.