Hydrogen sulfide plasma passivation of gallium arsenide

Abstract
Improvement in the electrical properties of the GaAs surface has been accomplished using a room-temperature hydrogen sulfide plasma. The surface has then been protected by a 300 °C plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) SiO2 film. This treatment is highly reproducible due to computer control of process parameters and long-lasting due to the SiO2 cap. Improved C-V characteristics were observed, showing interface trap densities in the high 1011 cm−2 eV−1 range. Photoluminescence (PL) measurements on the sulfided samples showed increased intensity over the untreated samples.