A combination of positron annihilation spectroscopy and scanning tunnelling microscopy was used to show that thermally generated P vacancies diffuse from the InP surface towards the bulk. The defect observed in the bulk could be identified as a complex consisting of a P vacancy and a Zn impurity. It was deduced that this pair was formed when the diffusing positive P vacancy was trapped at the Zn dopant. A rough estimate for the migration energy of the P vacancy results in a value of 1.3eV.

Formation of VP-Zn Complexes in Bulk InP(Zn) by Migration of P Vacancies from the (110) Surface. J.Slotte, K.Saarinen, P.Ebert: Physical Review B, 2006, 73[19], 193313 (4pp)

Figure 4

Diffusivity of Zn in xInGaAs-(1-x)InP

(White: x = 0, black: x = 0.39, hatched: x = 0.63)