The out-diffusion of Ga atoms from a GaAs substrate, and into a SiOxNy encapsulating film, during annealing was studied by using secondary ion mass spectrometry. The concentration of Ga atoms which was detected within the encapsulant, when annealed at 850C, was found to increase with an increasing O content in the encapsulant. This behavior could be correlated with changes in the concentration of the EL5 electron trap (Ec - ET = 0.42eV); as detected by using deep-level transient spectroscopy. It was concluded that the generation of EL5 traps during annealing was due to Ga out-diffusion.

Characterization of Ga Out-Diffusion from GaAs into SiOxNy Flms during Thermal Annealing. M.Kuzuhara, T.Nozaki, T.Kamejima: Journal of Applied Physics, 1989, 66[12], 5833-6