Junction-depth measurements, performed using scanning electron microscopy and secondary ion mass spectroscopy, were used to characterize Si diffusion in GaAs crystals which contained various amounts of Zn background doping. The Zn concentration was found to control Si diffusion. This behavior was attributed to a shift in the Fermi level with increasing n-type doping. Also, the electric field which was due to the p-n junction that formed at the Si diffusion front had a large effect upon the Zn background doping profile.

Background Doping Dependence of Silicon Diffusion in p-Type GaAs. D.G.Deppe, N.Holonyak, F.A.Kish, J.E.Baker: Applied Physics Letters, 1987, 50[15], 998-1000