An Atomistically Informed Device Engineering (AIDE) Method Realized: A case study in GaAs

Radiation-induced defects can have a significant impact on the longevity and performance of semiconductor devices. We present an Atomistically Informed Device Engineering (AIDE) method that integrates first-principles defect properties and experimentally measured parameters into a device model to dynamically simulate the defect chemistry in semiconductors. For a silicon-doped gallium arsenide (GaAs) material, we showcase three capabilities: (i) Fermi level $E_F$ movement including its component electron and hole Fermi levels, (ii) dynamical charge equilibration with the arsenic vacancy serving as an example, and a (iii) diffusion-driven reaction between Coulomb attracted gallium interstitial ($Ga_i$) and arsenic vacancy ($v_{As}$). Governed by charge carrier reactions, the electron and hole Fermi levels remained dissimilar until equilibrium was achieved at $E_F\approx1.32$ eV. The equilibrium Fermi level was verified by successfully identifying $v_{As}^{3-}$ as the most populated charge state within the arsenic vacancy defect. Lastly, a Coulomb attraction, created by the shifted Fermi level and the charge equilibration process, between $Ga_i^{1+}$ and $v_{As}^{3-}$ resulted in the formation of a doubly negative gallium antisite ($Ga_{As}^{2-}$). The AIDE method can access experimentally inaccessible short-time and low-concentration regimes, is generalizable to other more complex systems (e.g., indium gallium arsenide), and, after solving open problems in GaAs, will serve as a virtual experiment to bound estimates for difficult-to-measure physical quantities.