P. Ebert et al., THERMAL FORMATION OF ZN-DOPANT-VACANCY DEFECT COMPLEXES ON INP(110) SURFACES, Physical review. B, Condensed matter, 53(8), 1996, pp. 4580-4590
The thermal formation of Zn-dopant-vacancy defect complexes is studied
as a function of annealing time and temperature between 293 and 480 K
on InP(110) surfaces using scanning tunneling microscopy. The geometr
ic and electronic structure as well as the concentrations of isolated
dopant atoms, phosphorus monovacancies, and vacancy-Zn defect complexe
s are found to be related to each other. An attractive interaction bet
ween the vacancies and Zn atoms is found. The vacancies and Zn-dopant
atoms can compensate each other's charge and form uncharged complexes.
The formation of these compensated defect complexes strongly decrease
s the concentration of electrically active Zn atoms. The total observa
ble Zn concentration in the surface layers remains constant with time
at temperatures up to 415 K. Only defect complexes consisting of a sur
face vacancy and a subsurface dopant atom are formed. At 480 K the obs
ervable Zn concentration decreases, however, because defect complexes
consisting of a subsurface vacancy and a Zn atom are formed.