Deep-level transient spectroscopy, capacitance and current-voltage measurements, as applied to various types of p/n junction, were used to relate EL2 concentrations to properties which were directly related to the rate of recombination of minority carriers in Czochralski-grown material and epitaxial layers. It was found that the recombination current varied linearly with the concentration of the EL2 defect. Advantage was taken of the metastable character of the EL2 defect in order to show that the minority carrier lifetime exhibited the same metastable behaviour. It was concluded that the EL2 defect was responsible for non-radiative recombination in epitaxial and bulk material.

The Defect Responsible for Non-Radiative Recombination in GaAs Materials. J.C.Bourgoin, N.De Angelis: Semiconductor Science and Technology, 2001, 16[6], 497-501