Recent achievements in semiconductor defect passivation

The full understanding of processes occurring during impurities and defect passivation is of both practical and theoretical interest. The first topic considered in the present paper is the study of a new passivation methodology, based on the use of catalytic hydrogenation. It will be seen that the application of this technique associated with the use of deuterium in-depth profiling and microstructural characterization contributes to a better understanding of the passivation mechanism for polycrystalline silicon. The second topic considered is an attempt to extend the surface passivation to silicon via transition metal chemisorption. The technique is already successfully employed for compound semiconductors. It will be shown that the different surface chemistry involved is the reason for the lack of success encountered. Finally, the application of the light-beam-induced current (LBIC) technique in the lateral configuration will be discussed with respect to surface passivation monitoring, and its full applicability will be demonstrated.