HYDROGEN CO-DOPING IN III-V SEMICONDUCTORS: DOPANT PASSIVATION AND CARBON REACTIVATION KINETICS IN C-GaAs

Hydrogen in semiconductors is an electrically active impurity whose interaction with lattice point defects and impurities, might produce a strong modification on their physical behavior, changing some material properties, influencing as well, device performance. In this work we will review the main effects of hydrogen co-doping on the properties crystalline semiconductors, discuss on the driving force on the process of hydrogen incorporation in carbon doped GaAs, growth in the presence of hydrogen. A detailed model on the carbon reactivation kinetics, carbon doping efficiency and carbon-hydrogen complexes behavior in MOCVD-GaAs epitaxial layers will be presented. Finally, we will discuss the probable relation between the beta evolution of the high frequency and high power n-GaInP/p-GaAs/n-GaAs hetero-junction bipolar transistor (HBT), and the hydrogen co-doping of the C:GaAs, constituting its base.