Laser (cw CO2) -induced electrical damage in Ge and Si

Abstract

This paper presents the experimental results on the electrical studies of cw CO2 laser-induced damage in Ge and Si. The damage first appears at the surface of the semiconductor and penetrates the bulk, creating defects that cause carrier removal and mobility degradation. The defects so created are more active at lower temperatures than at room temperature, as seen from the mobility-vs-temperature curves before and after laser damage. Carrier removal and mobility degradation curves appear qualitatively to be similar to those observed for electron, neutron, and γ-ray damage. The experimental results can be satisfactorily explained by assuming the creation of vacancy and interstitial pairs and applying the model of James and Lark-Horovitz.