Radiation-Produced Energy Levels in Compound Semiconductors

Abstract

The effects of high‐energy radiation on the electrical properties of compound semiconductors are reviewed. Emphasis is placed on those effects which can be interpreted in terms of energy levels. The following compounds are discussed: InSb, InAs, GaSb, AlSb, GaAs, InP, CdTe, and SiC. The implications of bombardment‐produced changes in carrier concentration on possible energy levels are considered. Of the compound semiconductors, only InSb, irradiated at 200°K with electrons, has been sufficiently studied to enable a determination of the positions of the energy levels and their rates of generation. The annealing behavior of both InSb and GaSb is complex. A possible interpretation of these annealing characteristics in terms of shifting energy levels is discussed.