Diode structures from amorphous low-temperature GaAs

The effect of annealing on the electrical properties of a GaAs diode structure, which incorporated a nominally undoped low-temperature (LT) layer on top of conventionally grown p-type GaAs, is examined. Unannealed GaAs grown by molecular beam epitaxy at substrate temperatures below 250°C is amorphous and highly resistive. Annealing at high temperatures converts the undoped LT-GaAs from amorphous to single crystal material. The annealed material is n-type. The current-voltage characteristics of the LT on p-type GaAs structures showed greater asymmetry, with lower reverse leakage currents, as the anneal temperature was increased above 400°C. This reflects the improved crystal quality of the LT layer.