Surface passivation of InP using an organic thin film.

Highlights • Organic vapor phase deposition of perylene diimide monolayers significantly reduces surface recombination of InP wafers. • Conformal coating allows for passivation of 3D surfaces such as mesas. • Passivation leads to improved photoconductivity in InP detectors. Abstract We demonstrate the surface passivation of InP using thin layers of a perylenetetracarboxylic diimide derivative (PTCDI-C 9) applied via organic vapor phase deposition (OVPD). The organic layer forms a conformal crystalline film on the InP surface, which is confirmed by atomic force microscopy and X-ray diffraction. Area-dependent photoluminescence measurements indicate that the coating reduces surface recombination. The organic thin film deposited by OVPD exhibits improved photoconductivity compared to an unpassivated InP sample, and to a layer deposited via vacuum thermal evaporation. Our results suggest that semiconductor surface passivation using organic thin films deposited by OVPD has applications to a variety of optoelectronic devices, particularly with structures requiring sidewall or conformal coatings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]