UNINTENTIONAL HYDROGEN INCORPORATION IN CRYSTALS

It is shown that in most of the steps of semiconductor technology, contamination by hydrogen occurs. During the growth of bulk semiconductors, hydrogen can be unintentionally introduced in noticeable concentrations (almost-equal-to 10(16) cm-3). This is the case for floating zone silicon grown under a hydrogen atmosphere and for III-V materials grown by the liquid encapsulation Czochralski technique. Hydrogen can be introduced during epitaxial growth too as in the growth of p-type InP by organometallic vapor phase epitaxy. Reactive ion etching of silicon and of III-V materials also leads to a hydrogen contamination of the sub-surface region.