Compensation mechanism in silicon-doped gallium arsenide nanowires

P-type gallium arsenide nanowires were grown with different silicon doping concentrations. The incorporation is monitored by Raman spectroscopy of the local vibrational modes. For Si-concentrations up to 1.4 x 10(18) cm(-3), silicon incorporates mainly in arsenic sites. For higher concentrations, we observe the formation of silicon pairs. This is related to the Coulomb interaction between charged defects during growth. An electrical deactivation of more than 85% of the silicon acceptors is deduced for nominal silicon concentration of 4 x 10(19) cm(-3). This work is important to understand the limiting mechanisms of doping in compound semiconductor nanowires.