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Effects of fast and thermal neutron irradiation on Ga-polar and N-polar GaN diodes

Journal Article · · Journal of Applied Physics
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0119294· OSTI ID:1908185
 [1];  [1];  [1];  [2];  [1];  [3];  [2];  [4];  [3];  [1]
  1. Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States)
  2. Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States)
  3. Univ. of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT (United States)
  4. Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations
Studies of the radiation tolerance and electrical behavior of gallium nitride (GaN) based devices are important for the next generation of high-power and high-voltage electronics that may be subjected to harsh environments such as nuclear reactor and fusion facilities, particle accelerators, and post-denotation environments. Here, in this work, we study the behavior of Ga-polar and N-polar GaN Schottky diodes before and after exposure to fast and thermal + fast neutrons. Temperature-dependent current–voltage (I–V) and circular transmission line method (CTLM) measurements were used to study the electrical characteristics. A strong reduction in reverse leakage current and an increase in differential resistance in forward bias were observed after neutron irradiation. Thermionic emission (TE), Frenkel–Poole (FP) emission, and Fowler–Nordheim (FN) tunneling models were used to explain the forward and reverse I–V characteristics pre- and post-irradiation. The study confirms that Ga-polar and N-polar GaN Schottky diodes exhibit different electrical responses to fast and thermal neutron irradiations. The reverse bias characteristics of N-polar diodes are less affected after the fast neutron irradiation compared to Ga-polar diodes, while in the forward bias region, the electrical behavior after fast and thermal neutron irradiations is similar in Ga-polar and N-polar diodes. The results indicate that the role of orientation should be considered in the design of GaN-based radiation-tolerant electronics.
Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA); USDOE
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
1908185
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-175675
Journal Information:
Journal of Applied Physics, Journal Name: Journal of Applied Physics Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 133; ISSN 0021-8979
Publisher:
American Institute of Physics (AIP)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Figures / Tables (12)

FIG. 1(p. 3)figure FIG. 1
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Related Subjects

42 ENGINEERING
Fowler-Nordheim tunneling
GaN
Poole-Frenkel effect
Schottky diodes
current-voltage characteristic
electrical properties and parameters
neutron radiation effects
nuclear reactors
semiconductors
thermionic emission