Defects in semiconductors have been studied for many years, in many cases with a view toward controlling their behaviour through various forms of “defect engineering”. For example, in the bulk, charging significantly affects the total concentration of defects that are available to mediate phenomena such as solid-state diffusion. Surface defects play an important role in mediating surface mass transport during high temperature processing steps such as epitaxial film deposition, diffusional smoothing in reflow, and nanostructure formation in memory device fabrication. “Charged Defects in Semiconductors” details the current state of knowledge regarding the properties of the ionized defects that can affect the behaviour of advanced transistors, photo-active devices, catalysts, and sensors. Features: group IV, III-V, and oxide semiconductors; intrinsic and extrinsic defects; and, point defects, as well as defect pairs, complexes and clusters.

This volume, number 91 in the Semiconductor and Semimetals series, focuses on defects in semiconductors. Defects in semiconductors help to explain several phenomena, from diffusion to getter, and to draw theories on materials' behavior in response to electrical or mechanical fields. The volume includes chapters focusing specifically on electron and proton irradiation of silicon, point defects in zinc oxide and gallium nitride, ion implantation defects and shallow junctions in silicon and germanium, and much more. It will help support students and scientists in their experimental and theoretical paths. - Expert contributors - Reviews of the most important recent literature - Clear illustrations - A broad view, including examination of defects in different semiconductors

From its early beginning before the war, the field of semiconductors has developped as a classical example where the standard approximations of 'band theory' can be safely used to study its interesting electronic properties. Thus in these covalent crystals, the electronic structure is only weakly coupled with the atomic vibrations; one-electron Bloch functions can be used and their energy bands can be accurately computed in the neighborhood of the energy gap between the valence and conduction bands; nand p doping can be obtained by introducing substitutional impurities which only introduce shallow donors and acceptors and can be studied by an effective-mass weak-scattering description. Yet, even at the beginning, it was known from luminescence studies that these simple concepts failed to describe the various 'deep levels' introduced near the middle of the energy gap by strong localized imperfections. These imperfections not only include some interstitial and many substitutional atoms, but also 'broken bonds' associated with surfaces and interfaces, dis location cores and 'vacancies', i.e., vacant iattice sites in the crystal. In all these cases, the electronic structure can be strongly correlated with the details of the atomic structure and the atomic motion. Because these 'deep levels' are strongly localised, electron-electron correlations can also playa significant role, and any weak perturbation treatment from the perfect crystal structure obviously fails. Thus, approximate 'strong coupling' techniques must often be used, in line' with a more chemical de scription of bonding.

An Annual Retrospective VI

III-V semiconductors, of which gallium arsenide is the best known, have been important for some years and appear set to become much more so in the future. They have principally contributed to two technologies: microwave devices and optoelectronics. Recent advances in the production of thin layers have made possible a whole new range of devices based on multi-quantum wells. The heat treatments used in the manufacture of semiconductor devices means that some diffusion must take place. A good understanding of diffusion processes is therefore essential to maintain control over the technology. Atomic Diffusion in III-V Semiconductors presents a lucid account of the experimental work that has been carried out on diffusion in III-Vs and explores the advanced models that explain the results. A review of the III-V group of semiconductors outlines the special properties that make them so attractive for some types of devices. Discussion of the basic elements of diffusion in semiconductors provides the theory necessary to understand the subject in depth, and the book gives hints on how to assess the published data. Chapters on diffusion of shallow donors, shallow acceptors, transition elements, and very fast-diffusing elements provide a critical review of published works. The book also presents the neglected subject of self-diffusion, including a section on superlattices. Atomic Diffusion in III-V Semiconductors will be of interest to research workers in semiconductor science and technology, and to postgraduate students in physics, electronics, and materials science.

A 10-Year Retrospective

The second, updated edition of this essential reference book provides a wealth of detail on a wide range of electronic and photonic materials, starting from fundamentals and building up to advanced topics and applications. Its extensive coverage, with clear illustrations and applications, carefully selected chapter sequencing and logical flow, makes it very different from other electronic materials handbooks. It has been written by professionals in the field and instructors who teach the subject at a university or in corporate laboratories. The Springer Handbook of Electronic and Photonic Materials, second edition, includes practical applications used as examples, details of experimental techniques, useful tables that summarize equations, and, most importantly, properties of various materials, as well as an extensive glossary. Along with significant updates to the content and the references, the second edition includes a number of new chapters such as those covering novel materials and selected applications. This handbook is a valuable resource for graduate students, researchers and practicing professionals working in the area of electronic, optoelectronic and photonic materials.