Dangling-bond defects and hydrogen passivation in germanium

Abstract

The application of germanium in complementary metal-oxide semiconductor technology is hampered by high interface-state densities. Using first-principles calculations, we investigate the effects of dangling bonds (DBs) and their interaction with hydrogen. We find that Ge DBs give rise to electronic levels below the valence-band maximum. They therefore occur exclusively in the negative charge state, explaining why they cannot be observed with electron spin resonance. The associated fixed charge is likely responsible for threshold-voltage shifts and poor performance of n-channel transistors. We also find that passivation of DBs by hydrogen will be ineffective because interstitial hydrogen is also stable exclusively in the negative charge state.