Deep levels in semiconductors
The role of deep-lying trapping centers in semi-insulating GaAs, polysilicon and polycrystalline tin oxide transparent electrode has been systematically investigated. It was demonstrated that some of the peculiar transport properties of these semiconductors can be elucidated by deep level compensation. A multilevel model is presented to determine the position of the Fermi level as a function of impurity concentrations. These include, quantitatively, the deep-lying levels which have been introduced by doping in the case of GaAs and by grain boundaries in the case of polycrystalline films. In the latter cases the dangling bonds, associated to lattice defects, are characterized by energy levels which are localized in the energy gap. These dangling bonds can act as electron traps when empty and hole traps when occupied. These are the deep levels.In each of the investigated three cases, this concept permitted the elucidation of some of the transport properties of these semiconductors.