HYDROGEN IN CRYSTALLINE SEMICONDUCTORS: PART I—SILICON

Abstract

Hydrogen plays an important role in the properties of Si because of its ability to passivate the electrical activity of shallow dopants and deep level impurities. This passivation can occur during virtually every stage of crystal growth, device fabrication or device operation due to the rapid diffusivity of hydrogen at low temperatures and the fact that it is a component of virtually every gas or liquid that comes in contact with Si. We review the ability of hydrogen to form neutral complexes with dopants and impurities, give examples of hydrogen diffusion profiles in doped and undoped Si, and mention the role of hydrogen during chemical vapor deposition and molecular beam epitaxy of Si.