This research project plans to investigate the microscopic characteristics of dopant-hydrogen complexes. Hydrogen, as a ubiquitous impurity in semiconductors, forms complexes with a wide variety of defect species, thereby modifying the electrical and optical properties. The research will involve a combination of vibrational spectroscopy, uniaxial stress techniques, and theory to address these complexes. In addition to searching for new hydrogen- related defect centers a number of centers that are already known but not well understood will be studied. The motion of the hydrogen within the defect complex will also be studied. Associated with the hydrogen motion are relaxations of the host atoms. The lightness of the hydrogen also suggests quantum mechanical effects may be important.
