Plasma Nitridation Effect on <i>β</i>-Ga₂O₃ Semiconductors

Abstract

The electrical and optoelectronic performance of semiconductor devices are mainly affected by the presence of defects or crystal imperfections in the semiconductor. Oxygen vacancies are one of the most common defects and are known to serve as electron trap sites whose energy levels are below the conduction band (CB) edge for metal oxide semiconductors, including β-Ga2O3. In this study, the effects of plasma nitridation (PN) on polycrystalline β-Ga2O3 thin films are discussed. In detail, the electrical and optical properties of polycrystalline β-Ga2O3 thin films are compared at different PN treatment times. The results show that PN treatment on polycrystalline β-Ga2O3 thin films effectively diminish the electron trap sites. This PN treatment technology could improve the device performance of both electronics and optoelectronics.

Keywords

• Ga₂O₃
• gallium oxide
• plasma nitridation
• defect density