Passivation of the electronic defect states at the SiNx/InP interface has been achieved using gaseous H2S treatments of the InP surface. Al/SiNx/InP capacitors, fabricated by depositing silicon nitride films on the H2S-treated InP, exhibit good capacitance-voltage (C-V) characteristics. The SiNx layer is deposited at 200 °C using an electron cyclotron resonance plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (ECR-PECVD) technique. A minimum trap density of 3.5×1011 cm−2 eV−1 is estimated using the high-frequency C-V characteristics. These devices appear to be more uniform and reproducible than ammonium/phosphorous polysulfide-passivated SiNx/InP interfaces.

For the first time, excellent passivation of the defect states at the SiNx/InP interface has been achieved using ammonium sulfide solution containing excess sulfur and phosphorous pentasulfide. Silicon nitride overlayers have been deposited at ∼200 °C using electron cyclotron resonance plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique. The room-temperature integrated photoluminescence (PL) intensity of the passivated InP approximately doubled following the nitride deposition. Under similar conditions, the PL intensity of the untreated sample decreased by a factor of five. The interface trap density, estimated using the high-low capacitance technique, is ∼1012 cm−2 eV−1. The devices are stable, with no noticeable change observed over a 30-day period.

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Stable passivation of GaAs surfaces and AlGaAs/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors has been achieved using sulfide solutions and SiNx overlayers. The SiNx layers are deposited at ∼200 °C using electron cyclotron resonance plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique. The capacitance–voltage measurements indicate a substantial reduction in the density of electronic defects at the SiNx/S–GaAs interface as a result of annealing in N2 ambient. The base current of a 36×36 μm2 AlGaAs/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistor is reduced by approximately two orders of magnitude in the low collector current regime by using sulfide treatment, SiNx deposition, and anneal. Both the Al/SiNx/S–GaAs capacitors and transistors are stable for several months with no noticeable degradation in their electrical characteristics.

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