Tailoring the electrical conductivity of GaAs by nitrogen incorporation

We investigate the electrical conductivity of the dilute nitride alloy GaAs1−xNx, focusing on the range of concentrations of N over which this material system behaves as a good conductor. We report a large increase of the resistivity for x>0.2% and a strong reduction of the electron mobility, μ, at x∼0.1%. In the ultra-dilute regime (x∼0.1%) and at low electric fields (<1 kV cm−1), the electrical conductivity retains the characteristic features of electron transport through extended states, albeit with relatively low mobility (μ∼0.1 m2 V−1 s−1 at T = 293 K) due to scattering of electrons by N atoms. In contrast, at large electric fields (>1 kV cm−1), the conduction electrons gain sufficient energy to approach the energy of the resonant N level, where they become spatially localized. This resonant electron localization in an electric field (RELIEF) leads to negative differential velocity. The RELIEF effect could be observed in other III–N–V compounds, such as InAs1−xNx and InP1−xNx, and has potential for applications in terahertz electronics.

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