Electron irradiation of AlGaN/GaN and AlN/GaN heterojunctions

Journal Article · Mon Oct 13 00:00:00 EDT 2008 · Applied Physics Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3000613· OSTI ID:21175660

Polyakov, A Y; Smirnov, N B; Govorkov, A V; Markov, A V ^[1]; Pearton, S J ^[2]; Dabiran, A M; Wowchak, A M; Cui, B; Osinsky, A V; Chow, P P ^[3]; Kolin, N G; Boiko, V M; Merkurisov, D I ^[4]

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1. Institute of Rare Metals, Moscow, 119017, B. Tolmachevsky 5 (Russian Federation)
2. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611 (United States)
3. SVT Associates, Inc., 7620 Executive Drive, Eden Prairie, Minnesota 55344 (United States)
4. Obninsk Branch of Federal State Unitary Enterprise, Karpov Institute of Physical Chemistry, Obninsk, Kaluga Region 249033 (Russian Federation)

The effects of 10 MeV electron irradiation on AlGaN/GaN and AlN/GaN heterojunctions grown by molecular beam epitaxy are reported. The irradiation increases the resistivity of the GaN buffer due to compensation by radiation defects with levels near E{sub c}-1 eV and decreases the mobility of the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) near the AlGaN/GaN (or AlN/GaN) interface. The bulk carrier removal rate in the GaN buffer is the same for both types of structures and similar to carrier removal rates for undoped n-GaN films. In structures with a density of residual donors of {approx}10{sup 15} cm{sup -3}, irradiation with electron doses of {approx}5x10{sup 15} cm{sup -2} renders the buffer semi-insulating. The 50% degradation of the 2DEG conductivity happens at several times higher doses (close to 3x10{sup 16} cm{sup -2} versus 6.5x10{sup 15} cm{sup -2}) for AlN/GaN than for AlGaN/GaN structures, most likely because of the lower thickness of the AlN barrier.

• OSTI ID: 21175660
• Journal Information: Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 93, Issue 15; Other Information: DOI: 10.1063/1.3000613; (c) 2008 American Institute of Physics; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
ALUMINIUM NITRIDES
CHARGE CARRIERS
CRYSTAL GROWTH
ELECTRIC CONDUCTIVITY
ELECTRON BEAMS
ELECTRON GAS
ELECTRON MOBILITY
GALLIUM NITRIDES
HETEROJUNCTIONS
IMPURITIES
INTERSTITIALS
IRRADIATION
MEV RANGE 10-100
MOLECULAR BEAM EPITAXY
SEMICONDUCTOR MATERIALS
THIN FILMS