Study of p–i–n Diode Structures on High-Resistivity Silicon Substrates Using Deep-Level Transient Spectroscopy

During the design of foreign-impurity-sensitive p–i–n diode structures formed on high-resistivity silicon it is required to take into account the features of the processing media in which they are treated and their subsequent effect on the basic performance of the product. Deep-level transient spectroscopy is used to study process impurities diffusing from the surface into the p–i–n diode-structure bulk during its manufacturing. This method is characterized by a high sensitivity, the possibility of determining the nature of the impurity, etc. In this work, p–i–n diode structures fabricated on high-resistivity silicon substrates are studied by deep-level transient spectroscopy. The results of the spectroscopic study show the occurrence of deep donor levels in the silicon band gap due to the presence of sulfur in the body of the p–i–n diode. It is established that the occurrence of a sulfur impurity leads to an undesirable decrease in the specific volume resistance of the substrate and to p–i–n-diode deterioration. The results of the study can be used in the manufacture of p–i–n diodes and other foreign-impurity-sensitive semiconductor structures on high-resistivity silicon.