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An aluminum nitride (AlN) quasi-vertical Schottky barrier diode (SBD) was fabricated on an AlN bulk substrate. An undoped AlN layer, a Si-doped Al0.9Ga0.1N current spreading layer and an AlN buffer layer were grown by plasma-enhanced molecular beam epitaxy. The epitaxial AlN layer was etched down to the n-Al0.9Ga0.1N layer to form an Ohmic contact. Ni/Au and V/Al/Ni/Au were deposited on the top AlN layer as Schottky contacts and on the exposed n-Al0.9Ga0.1N layer as Ohmic contacts, respectively. The Ohmic characteristics on the n-Al0.9Ga0.1N layer, capacitance–voltage (C–V) and current–voltage (I–V) characteristics of the AlN SBD were investigated.

Harnessing resonant tunneling transport in III-nitride semiconductors to boost the operating frequencies of electronic and photonic devices, requires a thorough understanding of the mechanisms that limit coherent tunneling injection. Towards this goal, we present a concerted experimental and theoretical study that elucidates the impact of the collector doping setback on the quantum transport characteristics of GaN/AlN resonant tunneling diodes (RTDs). Employing our analytical model for polar RTDs, we quantify the width of the resonant-tunneling line shape, demonstrating that the setback helps preserve coherent injection. This design results in consistently higher peak-to-valley-current ratios (PVCRs), obtaining a maximum PVCR = 2.01 at cryogenic temperatures.

We report a comparative study of the mobility of two-dimensional electron gases (2DEG) formed at AlGaN/GaN heterostructures by simultaneously growing on substrates with very different dislocation densities. The mobility is seen to depend on the 2DEG charge density directly, but surprisingly, dislocations do not cause a discernible impact on the mobility of the samples within the measured region

Ga2O3 vertical trench Schottky barrier diodes with four different fin-channel orientations are realized on (001) substrates and compared. Fin-channels along the [010] direction with (100)-like sidewalls result in the highest forward current, while other channel orientations all lead to a shallow turn-on behavior and much lower forward current, indicative of severe sidewall depletion attributed to negative interface charges. The comparison indicates that the interface charge density is the smallest on the (100)-like surfaces. The breakdown voltage of the diodes with 1-μm fin width is around 2.4 kV, with no apparent dependence on the channel orientation.

We report a systematic study of thickness-dependent superconductivity and carrier transport properties in exfoliated layered 2H-NbS2. Hall-effect measurements reveal 2H-NbS2 is a p-type metal with hole mobility of 1–3 cm2 V−1 s−1. The superconducting transition temperature is found to decrease with thickness. However, we find that superconductivity is suppressed due to disorder resulting from the incorporation of atmospheric oxygen. Cross-section transmission electron microscope imaging reveals a chemical change of NbS2 in the ambient, resulting in the formation of amorphous oxide layers sandwiching crystalline layered NbS2. Though few-nm-thick 2H-NbS2 completely converts to amorphous oxide in the ambient, PMMA encapsulation prevents further chemical change and preserves superconductivity in thicker samples.

Silicon substrates offer an attractive substrate platform for GaN RF and power electronics. In this work, we address the key challenges and provide solutions for the RF-MBE growth of GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) on Si(111). Moreover, by developing low-leakage buffer layers and employing raised source/drain regrown ohmic contacts, high-performance HEMTs are realized at a significantly lower process temperature by plasma MBE than by MOCVD. This is expected to motivate further ideas for the integration of GaN with silicon that go beyond RF and power electronics into the regime of low-power digital logic by exploiting the unique polarization properties of GaN.

Superior electronic and thermal properties have made InAlN/GaN high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) an attractive candidate for power electronics applications. However, their high gate leakage current remains a serious challenge affecting the reliability and performance of these heterostructures. Leakage paths through dislocations or by percolation through inhomogeneities in the InAlN alloy barrier restrict the voltage handling capability of these HEMTs. In this work, we show that surface treatment with KOH greatly reduces the gate leakage current. Consequently, the switching characteristics of the HEMTs improve, and they exhibit lower subthreshold slopes and improved breakdown characteristics. The finding should be of interest for both microwave and power electronics applications of nitride HEMTs.

Depletion-mode high-electron-mobility transistors (HEMTs) with an 11 nm quaternary In0.13Al0.83Ga0.04N barrier and a 5 nm In0.05Ga0.95N channel on SiC substrates have been fabricated. The as-processed HEMT structure features a channel electron density of 2.08×1013 cm-2 and a mobility of 1140 cm2 V-1 s-1. A device with a 50-nm-long T-shaped gate shows a maximum output current density of 2.0 A/mm, a peak extrinsic DC transconductance of 690 mS/mm, and cut-off frequencies fT/fmax of 260/220 GHz at the same bias, representing a record high √fTfmax of 239 GHz for InGaN channel HEMTs.