Rapid thermal annealing was used to investigate the influence of N interstitials on the electronic properties of GaAsN alloys. Nuclear reaction analysis revealed an annealing-induced decrease in the interstitial N concentration, while the total N composition remained constant. Corresponding signatures for the reduced interstitial N concentration were apparent in Raman spectra. Following annealing, both the room-T carrier concentration, n, and the mobility increase. At higher measurement-Ts, a thermally activated increase in n suggested the presence of a trap near GaAsN conduction band edge with activation energy 85meV. The annealing-induced increase in n suggested the association of the trap with interstitial N.

Influence of N Interstitials on the Electronic Properties of GaAsN Alloys. Y.Jin, R.M.Jock, H.Cheng, Y.He, A.M.Mintarov, Y.Wang, C.Kurdak, J.L.Merz, R. S.Goldman: Applied Physics Letters, 2009, 95[6], 062109