Ion beam induced current analysis in GaN microwires

Abstract

GaN is a wide bandgap semiconductor which is expected to withstand high radiation doses. Consequently, it is considered a promising material for new generation particle detectors in radiation related applications. We report on the fabrication and electrical characterization under proton irradiation of single microwire sensors based on a back-to-back Schottky contact configuration. The microwires are grown by metal-organic vapor phase epitaxy and processed into sensors by using optical lithography on dispersed wires. We investigate the impact of the contacts and the semiconductor bulk on the ion beam induced current (IBIC) by irradiating specific areas of the sensor and simultaneously measuring the change in conductivity. We observed that the contribution of the excess charge carriers generated in the depletion regions formed at the contact interfaces is of low influence when compared to the excess charge carriers generated in the microwire bulk.