Arsenic antisite defects and other paramagnetic centres in neutron irradiated and annealed GaAs

Abstract

GaAs samples have been irradiated with fast neutrons up to doses of 1*1020 n0 cm-2. EPR measurements revealed the four-line spectrum attributed to AsGa defects and the singlet spectrum previously ascribed to gallium vacancies. The dose dependences of these spectra imply that the paramagnetic 'singlet' defects are located in the core regions of disordered material whereas the AsGa centres must be located both in the cores and the surrounding shells of less-heavily damaged material. Isochronal anneals up to 550 degrees C of undoped or n-type samples showed that the AsGa centres were still present after the singlet spectrum had annealed at 500 degrees C. The spin-lattice relaxation time for the former defect increased during this latter stage. Some comments are made about the identity of the defects giving the singlet spectrum.