Impact of different types of planar defects on current transport in Indium Phosphide (InP)

Abstract

In this paper we show first-principles simulation results of the three most commonly occurring types of planar defects in Indium Phosphide (InP), which are Rotational Twin Planes (RTPs) and two types of Stacking Faults (SFs). We have found that only the two less common of these defects, the extrinsic and intrinsic SFs, have an impact on the current flow in the semiconductor. These two types of defects cause an increase in the resistivity of the semiconductor and a remarkable decrease in currents for low voltages. The most commonly occurring defect type, RTPs, were revealed to have little to no effect on the electrical properties of the semiconductor.