InP obtained by metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy, with properties similar to GaAs, shows mobilities approaching the theoretical maxima at low temperatures. However, the corresponding values remain abnormally low at room temperature where a pronounced electronic excitation to the conduction band is observed simultaneously. This reduction of the mobility is attributed to the presence of deep centers that are electrically inactive at low temperatures but become excited when the temperature increases. A model based on an iterative solution to the Boltzmann equation and accounting for the usual scattering mechanisms, including inelastic interactions, is able to explain the data perfectly and shows that a very high mobility at low temperature is not a sufficient measure of the purity for this material. The binding energy of the deep centers depends on the organo-metalic source used for the growth. This links the solution of this problem to the purification of the chemicals. Depletion effects at the interfaces did not appear to be significant. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

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