Proton irradiation impact on interface traps under Schottky contact in AlGaN/GaN heterostructure
Xue-Feng Zheng,
Guan-Jun Chen,
Xiao-Hu Wang,
Ying-Zhe Wang,
Chong Wang,
Wei Mao,
Yang Lu,
Bin Hou,
Min-Han Mi,
Ling Lv,
Yan-Rong Cao,
Qing Zhu,
Gang Guo,
Pei-Jun Ma,
Xiao-Hua Ma,
Yue Hao
Affiliations
Xue-Feng Zheng
Key Laboratory of Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Materials and Devices, School of Microelectronics, Xidian University, Xi’an 710071, People’s Republic of China
Guan-Jun Chen
Key Laboratory of Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Materials and Devices, School of Microelectronics, Xidian University, Xi’an 710071, People’s Republic of China
Xiao-Hu Wang
Key Laboratory of Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Materials and Devices, School of Microelectronics, Xidian University, Xi’an 710071, People’s Republic of China
Ying-Zhe Wang
Key Laboratory of Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Materials and Devices, School of Microelectronics, Xidian University, Xi’an 710071, People’s Republic of China
Chong Wang
Key Laboratory of Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Materials and Devices, School of Microelectronics, Xidian University, Xi’an 710071, People’s Republic of China
Wei Mao
Key Laboratory of Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Materials and Devices, School of Microelectronics, Xidian University, Xi’an 710071, People’s Republic of China
Yang Lu
Key Laboratory of Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Materials and Devices, School of Microelectronics, Xidian University, Xi’an 710071, People’s Republic of China
Bin Hou
Key Laboratory of Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Materials and Devices, School of Microelectronics, Xidian University, Xi’an 710071, People’s Republic of China
Min-Han Mi
Key Laboratory of Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Materials and Devices, School of Microelectronics, Xidian University, Xi’an 710071, People’s Republic of China
Ling Lv
Key Laboratory of Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Materials and Devices, School of Microelectronics, Xidian University, Xi’an 710071, People’s Republic of China
Yan-Rong Cao
Key Laboratory of Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Materials and Devices, School of Microelectronics, Xidian University, Xi’an 710071, People’s Republic of China
Qing Zhu
Key Laboratory of Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Materials and Devices, School of Microelectronics, Xidian University, Xi’an 710071, People’s Republic of China
Gang Guo
National Innovation Center of Radiation Application, P.O. Box 275, Beijing 102413, People’s Republic of China
Pei-Jun Ma
Key Laboratory of Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Materials and Devices, School of Microelectronics, Xidian University, Xi’an 710071, People’s Republic of China
Xiao-Hua Ma
Key Laboratory of Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Materials and Devices, School of Microelectronics, Xidian University, Xi’an 710071, People’s Republic of China
Yue Hao
Key Laboratory of Wide Bandgap Semiconductor Materials and Devices, School of Microelectronics, Xidian University, Xi’an 710071, People’s Republic of China
The effect of 3 MeV proton irradiation on interface traps under a Schottky contact in an AlGaN/GaN heterostructure has been investigated in this work. Utilizing the frequency-dependent conductance technique, the detailed information about interface traps under different proton doses has been evaluated. When the proton irradiation dose is increased to 5 × 1014 H+/cm2, it is observed that the deepest energy level of interface traps changes from 0.375 eV to 0.346 eV and the shallowest energy level changes from 0.284 eV to 0.238 eV. The corresponding energy range expands from 0.091 eV to 0.108 eV. Especially, the trap density at the deepest energy level and that at the shallowest energy level are reduced by 65% and 93%, respectively. Transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy are also used to assess the Schottky contact interface, and no element inter-diffusion is observed after proton irradiation. The reverse gate leakage current decreases with an increase in the proton irradiation dose, which agrees with the reduction in interface trap density.
