Formation of defects in GaAs and Si as a result of Pd deposition onto the surface

Photoelectric spectroscopy applied to the barriers between a semiconductor on a metal and an electrolyte is used to study the formation of defects in the near-contact region of GaAs and Si as a result of Pd deposition onto the surface. It is shown that a layer that arises as a result of the chemical interaction between Pd and a semiconductor at 100°C, containing defects with deep levels, extends to ～0.4 μm deep in GaAs and ～1 μm in Si. If one or several strained layers of InGaAs quantum wells are incorporated into the near-contact GaAs region, the defects do virtually not penetrate deeper than the first quantum well. This circumstance makes it possible to reduce the depth of the defect-containing layer; however, the volume concentration of the defects in this layer increases appreciably in this case.