Despite the long history of research that has focused on the role of defects on device performance, the studies have not always been fruitful. A major reason is because these defect studies have typically been conducted in a parallel mode wherein the semiconductor wafer was divided into multiple pieces for separate optical and structural characterization, as well as device fabrication and evaluation. The major limitation of this approach was that either the defect being investigated by structural characterization techniques was not the same defect that was affecting the device performance or else the defect was not characterized under normal device operating conditions. In this review, we describe a more comprehensive approach to defect study, namely a series mode, using an array of spatially-resolved optical, electrical, and structural characterization techniques, all at the individual defect level but applied sequentially on a fabricated device. This novel sequential approach enables definitive answers to key questions, such as: (i) how do individual defects affect device performance? (ii) how does the impact depend on the device operation conditions? (iii) how does the impact vary from one defect to another? Implementation of this different approach is illustrated by the study of individual threading dislocation defects in GaAs solar cells. Additionally, we briefly describe a 3-D Raman thermometry method that can also be used for investigating the roles of defects in high power devices and device failure mechanisms.

中文翻译：

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对缺陷及其对设备性能影响的综合、操作和相关调查

尽管长期以来一直关注缺陷对设备性能的影响，但研究并不总是富有成果。一个主要原因是因为这些缺陷研究通常是在平行线模式，其中半导体晶圆被分成多个部分以进行单独的光学和结构表征，以及器件制造和评估。这种方法的主要局限性在于，结构表征技术所研究的缺陷与影响器件性能的缺陷不同，或者该缺陷在正常器件操作条件下未被表征。在这篇综述中，我们描述了一种更全面的缺陷研究方法，即系列模式，使用一系列空间分辨的光学、电学和结构表征技术，所有这些技术都在单个缺陷级别，但按顺序应用于制造的设备。这种新颖的顺序方法可以明确回答关键问题，例如：(i) 个别缺陷如何影响设备性能？(ii) 影响如何取决于设备操作条件？(iii) 一种缺陷与另一种缺陷的影响有何不同？对 GaAs 太阳能电池中单个螺纹位错缺陷的研究说明了这种不同方法的实施。此外，我们简要介绍了一种 3-D 拉曼测温方法，该方法也可用于研究缺陷在高功率设备和设备故障机制中的作用。