Electrical properties of completely compensated single-crystal Ge-on-GaAs films with two-dimension Coulomb disorder

We present electrical properties of heavily doped and completely compensated Ge films grown on semiinsulating GaAs(100) substrates by vacuum evaporation . The thin (∼100 nm) Ge films are single-crystal and characterized using temperature-dependent transport measurements, with anomalously large activation energy up to half the Ge bandgap, anisotropy of the transverse magnetoresistance , high resistivity (up to 140 Ω cm), low free charge carrier mobility (∼50 cm 2 /V·s), and concentration (∼10 14 –10 15 cm −3 ). This behaviour is attributed to a completely compensated semiconductors arising from Ga and As impurity incorporation and large-scale potential fluctuations. Analysis suggests a two-dimensional percolative transport mechanism in Ge-on-GaAs heterostructures . • Conductivity with an anomalously large activation energy up to half the Ge bandgap. • Anisotropy of the transverse magnetoresistance . • Two-dimensional percolative transport mechanism. • Interdiffusion in the Ge/GaAs heterosystem.