Structures and Properties of Hydrogen-Containing Defects in Semiconductors

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Structures and Properties of Hydrogen-Containing
Defects in Semiconductors Michael Stavola, Lehigh
University, DMR 0403641
Hydrogen is an important impurity in
semiconductors because it is introduced easily
and is ubiquitous in the growth and processing
environment. Once present, H modifies the
electrical properties of semiconductors and the
behavior of electronic devices.
Dilute III-N-V alloys such at GaPN have been the
focus of much attention because of their
application in opto-electronic devices. Hydrogen
has the remarkable effect of modifying the band
gap energies of these semiconductor materials.
Experimental work supported by NSF probes the
vibrational properties of the H-containing
defects in the III-N-V alloys and has provided
structure-sensitive data that have led to a
microscopic model for the important N-H defects
in these novel, promising electronic materials.
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Structures and Properties of Hydrogen-Containing
Defects in Semiconductors Michael Stavola, Lehigh
University, DMR 0403641
Societal Impact and Education The research work
on H in semiconductors supported by NSF provides
an opportunity for undergraduate and graduate
students to make important contributions to
problems in semiconductor physics that have an
impact on electronics technology, often in
collaboration with leading scientists in the US
and abroad. This experience helps to ignite in
students the excitement that leads to successful
careers in science. (Our students are working on
experiments along with leading groups in the
U.S., Germany, Italy, and Denmark.) Highly
qualified undergraduates are recruited nationwide
as part of Lehighs Research Experiences for
Undergraduates program which exposes students,
often from small colleges, to university-level
research.
M. Lockwood, an undergraduate student from New
Mexico State Univ., and C. Peng, a graduate
student from Lehigh Univ., are shown making
low-temperature IR absorption measurements to
probe the properties of H impurities in
semiconductors.