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Title: Hysteresis phenomena of the two dimensional electron gas density in lattice-matched InAlN/GaN heterostructures

Journal Article · · Applied Physics Letters
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4928449· OSTI ID:22489054
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  1. State Key Laboratory of Artificial Microstructure and Mesoscopic Physics, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China)
  2. Engineering Research Center for Semiconductor Integrated Technology, Institute of Semiconductors, Chinese Academy of Sciences, P. O. Box 912, Beijing 100083 (China)
  3. Institute of Microelectronics, Peking University, Beijing 100871 (China)
  4. Department of Physics, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)

High-temperature transport properties in high-mobility lattice-matched InAlN/GaN heterostructures have been investigated. An interesting hysteresis phenomenon of the two dimensional electron gas (2DEG) density is observed in the temperature-dependent Hall measurements. After high-temperature thermal cycles treatment, the reduction of the 2DEG density is observed, which is more serious in thinner InAlN barrier samples. This reduction can then be recovered by light illumination. We attribute these behaviors to the shallow trap states with energy level above the Fermi level in the GaN buffer layer. The electrons in the 2DEG are thermal-excited when temperature is increased and then trapped by these shallow trap states in the buffer layer, resulting in the reduction and hysteresis phenomenon of their density. Three trap states are observed in the GaN buffer layer and C{sub Ga} may be one of the candidates responsible for the observed behaviors. Our results provide an alternative approach to assess the quality of InAlN/GaN heterostructures for applications in high-temperature electronic devices.

OSTI ID:
22489054
Journal Information:
Applied Physics Letters, Vol. 107, Issue 5; Other Information: (c) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 0003-6951
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English