Field effect on positron diffusion in semi-insulating GaAs

Abstract

An energy-tunable monoenergetic positron beam was used to study positron diffusion in the space-charge region of an Au/GaAs(SI) (semi-insulating) Schottky contact, where the electric field reaches ∼105 V cm-1 by reverse biasing the diode. An analytical solution of the time-dependent positron drift-diffusion model under an electric field was obtained for the case of a semi-infinite body with a capturing boundary, and explains the experimental results well. A positron diffusion coefficient of 1.8±0.2 cm2 s-1, and a positron mobility of 70± 10 cm2 V-1 s-1 in GaAs(SI) at 300 K, were obtained independently. This result is consistent with the Einstein relation. The dependence of the positron current density at the Au/GaAs interface on the electric field shows that GaAs(SI) is a possible candidate for the fabrication of the field-assisted positron moderator.