The electrochemical capacitance-voltage characterization of InP based p-i-n structures

Abstract

Electrochemical Capacitance-Voltage (EC-V) profiling is currently one of the most often used methods for majority carrier concentration depth profiling of semiconductors. The experiments of EC-V profiling on InP based structures were conducted by Wafer Profiler CVP21, and there are two problems in the experiments of InP based p-i-n structures : a）the experimental results of EC-V profiling of i layer were not in line with the theoretically data after the EC-V profiling of p layer, which can be measured within the error range; b) The measurements of etching depth were not very accurate. In this paper, we made comparative experiments on InP based n-i-n structures, and find out a method to deal with the first problem: firstly etch p layer before EC-V profiling, so we can gain a relatively accurate result of EC-V profiling of i layer. Besides, use back contacts instead of front contacts to do the EC-V profiling according to the instruction book of the Wafer Profiler CVP21. Then the author tried to infer the reason that results in the first problem theoretically. Meanwhile we can calibrate the etching depth through Profile-system and Scanning Probe Microscope (SPM). And there are two possible reasons which result in the second problem: the defects of the semiconductors and the electrolyte we used to etch the semiconductors.