The Hydrogen-Carbon Complex: Build-Up, Electronic Properties and Annealing Behavior

Abstract

DLTS experiments are carried out on intentionally hydrogen (H) and carbon (C) doped n-type c-Si samples. The measurements show that H in the presence of C forms an electrically active HC complex after a reverse-bias annealing treatment. The HC complex is a deep donor with an activation energy located about 0.16 eV below the edge of the conduction band. The HC complex is only stable in the positively charged state. It anneals in the neutral charge state after the capture of free electrons from the conduction band with an activation energy of 0.73 eV. The hydrogen species that is incorporated in the HC complex comes from hydrogen-passivated phosphorus (P). These HP complexes act as a “hydrogen reservoir” and dissociate with an activation energy of 1.13 eV into P⁺ and a negatively charged hydrogen species H^-.