The optical and electrical studies of hydrogen passivation in GaInP/GaAs heterostructures

It is shown that hydrogen passivation by the photochemical vapor deposition method can have a significant influence on GaInP/GaAs heterostructures. Th e effect has been investigated by low-temperature photoluminescence and cur rent-voltage and capacitance-voltage experiments. The photoluminescence mea surement shows a strong increase in the luminescence intensity after hydrog enation. It is interpreted in terms of the passivation of nonradiative reco mbination defect centers by atomic hydrogen. The effect is also accompanied by a simultaneous decrease in the carrier concentration as shown from the capacitance-voltage measurements. In addition, the effect of hydrogenation is confirmed by the improvement of the Schottky-diode properties. These res ults provide concrete evidence to support the passivation of impurities and defects by atomic hydrogen in GaInP/GaAs heterostructures. (C) 1999 Americ an Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(99)04310-7].