Published online by Cambridge University Press: 01 February 2011
We have carried out a systematic study of the effects of irradiation on the electronic and optical properties of InGaN alloys over the entire composition range. High energy electrons, protons, and 4He+ were used to produce displacement damage doses (Dd) spanning over five orders of magnitude. The free electron concentrations in InN and In-rich InGaN increase with Dd and finally saturate after a sufficiently high Dd. The saturation of carrier density is attributed to the formation of native donors and the Fermi level pinning at the Fermi Stabilization Energy (EFS), as predicted by the amphoteric native defect model. Electrochemical capacitance-voltage (ECV) measurements reveal a surface electron accumulation whose concentration is determined by pinning at EFS.