Defect States In p-ZnSe:N Grown By MOVPE

Concentration and origin of defect states in p-type nitrogen-doped ZnSe (p-ZnSe:N) grown by metalorganic vapor-phase epitaxy (MOVPE) are discussed by means of timeresolved photoluminescence and deep level transient spectroscopy. Thermal annealing, which is a useful tool for realizing p-type conductivity, results in deep defect states which seem to be associated with Zn vacancies and with nitrogen acceptors. By lowering the annealing temperature, the trap concentrations can be successfully reduced without seriously sacrificing the acceptor activation efficiency, although further reduction of Zn vacancies is pointed out as a remaining requirement for the improvement of quality of MOVPE-grown p-type layers.