Influence of dislocation content on the quantitative determination of the doping level distribution in n-GaAs using absorption mapping

Institute for Materials Science 6, University of Erlangen, Martensstr. 7, 91058 Erlangen, Germany

Corresponding author: ulrike.kuenecke@ww.uni-erlangen.de

Received: 16 September 2005
Revised: 7 December 2005
Accepted: 12 December 2005
Published online: 24 June 2006

Abstract

In an earlier paper [P.J. Wellmann, A. Albrecht, U. Künecke, B. Birkmann, G. Mueller, M. Jurisch, Eur. Phys. J. Appl. Phys. 27, 357 (2004)] an optical method based on whole wafer absorption measurements was presented to determine the charge carrier concentration and its lateral distribution in n-type (Si/Te) doped GaAs. The submitted results for Si-doped GaAs gave rise to questions concerning the interpretation of absorption mappings in wafers with high dislocation densities. GaAs substrates for optoelectronic devices are strongly affected by dislocations. Therefore further studies were conducted: absorption and Hall measurements were performed on GaAs:Si wafers with high and low dislocation densities. Absorption in Si-doped GaAs is far more complex than in Te-doped GaAs. It shows a co-dependency on charge carrier concentration and dislocation content which causes complications in the quantitative optical determination of the charge carrier concentration. Qualitatively, absorption mappings depict dislocations and variations of charge carrier concentration very well.