Observation of surface recombination variations in GaAs surfaces

Abstract
The surface recombination velocity of GaAs pn junction structures was determined from the dependence of the minority‐carrier diffusion length on the depth from the surface, employing scanning electron microscopy. Pronounced variations in the recombination velocity (exceeding a factor of 3) were found along a given ’’real’’ surface; the high recombination regions can be of significance in accounting for the overall recombination characteristics of real GaAs surfaces.