EFFECT OF AMMONIA VAPORS ON THE BREAKDOWNCHARACTERISTICS OF Si AND GaAs P-N JUNCTIONS
The influence of ammonia and water vapors on I-V characteristics of the reversecurrents in Si and GaAs p-n junctions was studied. At most of the studied samples,the ammonia- and water vapors lover the breakdown voltage. At some devices an opposite effect was observed. This difference is due to dominance of different surfacecenters, which have donor or acceptor properties. And some p-n junctions exhibit afixed breakdown voltage independently on the presence of ammonia and water vapors. This is due to the bulk location of the breakdown in these samples. Thus, theinfluence of ammonia vapors on the breakdown voltage provides some informationon the localization of the breakdown and on the charge state of surface centers.