Hydrogen passivation of nitrogen in GaNAs and GaNP alloys:How many H atoms are required for each N atom?

Secondary ion mass spectrometry and photoluminescence are employed to evaluate the origin and efficiency of hydrogen passivation of nitrogen in GaNAs and GaNP. The hydrogen profiles are found to closely follow the N distributions, providing unambiguous evidence for their preferential binding as the dominant mechanism for neutralization of N-induced modifications in the electronic structure of the materials. Though the exact number of H atoms involved in passivation may depend on the conditions of the H treatment and the host matrixes, it is generally found that more than three H atoms are required to bind to a N atom to achieve full passivation for both alloys.