Characterization of a Dominant Electron Trap in GaNAs Using Deep-Level Transient Spectroscopy

Dilute-nitrogen GaNAs epitaxial layers grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition were characterized by deep-level transient spectroscopy (DLTS). For all samples, the dominant DLTS signal corresponds to an electron trap having an activation energy of about 0.25 to 0.35 eV. The minority-carrier trap density in the p-type material is quantified based on computer simulation of the devices. The simulations show that only about 2% of the traps in the depleted layer are filled during the transient. The fraction of the traps that are filled depends strongly on the depth of the trap, but only weakly on the doping of the layers and on the conduction-band offset. The simulations provide a pathway to obtain semi-quantitative data for analysis of minority-carrier traps by DLTS.