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Ga2O3 unipolar devices are of high interest due to their ∼8 MV/cm predicted breakdown fields, which have not yet been achieved due to premature device failure. Pre- and post-failure defect analysis of Ni–Ga2O3 Schottky diodes in ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) and air were performed using depth-resolved cathodoluminescence, high angle annular dark field scanning transmission electron microscopy, and energy dispersive x-ray analysis to understand the physical mechanisms that precede premature breakdown. The breakdown voltage in UHV was dramatically reduced by nearly 40% compared with the breakdown in air. This reduction in the breakdown voltage correlated with post-breakdown differences in Ni distribution, indicating that the coordination and bonding of Ni contribute strongly to electrical behavior in Ni–Ga2O3 Schottky diodes. Breakdown studies in UHV revealed that Ni diffuses away more from the metal–semiconductor interface than with air breakdown, where Ni localizes more near the interface, indicative of the preferential formation of a Ni oxide under O-poor conditions. These measurements also identified the formation of divacancy-interstitial complexes and their characteristic luminescence signature ∼150 nm from the interface, the densities of which correlated with breakdown fields. These findings show that electric-field-induced degradation occurs via the rearrangement of native point defects, which act as an additional precursor to device failure. Macroscopically, they show the impact of both vacuum conditions and metal reactivity on Ga2O3 device fabrication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we have investigated plasma-assisted deposition of Al2O3 on HVPE (001) β-Ga2O3 and evaluated the dielectric quality from electrical measurements on fabricated metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitors. The interface structure and crystallinity of the films were investigated as a function of the growth temperature. The dielectric/semiconductor interfaces were found to have reverse breakdown electric fields up to 5.3 MV/cm in the β-Ga2O3, with relatively low hysteresis in capacitance–voltage and low leakage current. We determined a negative fixed interface charge density at the interface from analysis of thickness-dependent capacitance voltage data. This study shows the advantage of using plasma-assisted deposition to achieve high breakdown strength Al2O3/β-Ga2O3 MOS structures for device application purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we have investigated plasma-assisted deposition of Al2O3 on HVPE (001) β-Ga2O3 and evaluated the dielectric quality from electrical measurements on fabricated metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitors. The interface structure and crystallinity of the films were investigated as a function of the growth temperature. The dielectric/semiconductor interfaces were found to have reverse breakdown electric fields up to 5.3 MV/cm in the β-Ga2O3, with relatively low hysteresis in capacitance–voltage and low leakage current. We determined a negative fixed interface charge density at the interface from analysis of thickness-dependent capacitance voltage data. This study shows the advantage of using plasma-assisted deposition to achieve high breakdown strength Al2O3/β-Ga2O3 MOS structures for device application purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

β -Ga2O3 trench Schottky barrier diodes fabricated through a Gallium atomic beam etching technique with excellent field strength and power device figure of merit are demonstrated. Trench formation was accomplished by a low-damage Ga flux etch that enables near-ideal forward operating characteristics that are independent of fin orientation. The reverse breakdown field strength of greater than 5.10 MV/cm is demonstrated at a breakdown voltage of 1.45 kV. This result demonstrates the potential for Ga atomic beam etching and high-quality dielectric layers for improved performance in β -Ga2O3 vertical power devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report on the design and fabrication of β -Ga2O3 self-aligned lateral MOSFETs by utilizing a heavily doped β -Ga2O3 cap layer. The fabrication of the self-aligned device used a combination of in situ Ga etching for damage free gate recess, in situ growth of Al2O3 for gate dielectric, and atomic layer deposited Al2O3 based sidewall spacers to form highly scaled (<100 nm) source–gate and gate–drain access regions. The fabricated device showed a record high DC drain current density of 560 mA/mm at a drain bias of 5 V. The DC current density was found to be limited by excessive self-heating resulting in premature current saturation in the device. Pulsed I–V measurements of the device showed a record high current density of 895 mA/mm and a high transconductance of 43 mS/mm, thanks to reduced self-heating in the device. The high current densities obtained in this work are promising for the development of high power density devices based on β -Ga2O3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, we demonstrate a deep mesa etch design for efficient edge field termination in β-Ga2O3 Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs). The proposed design enabled parallel plate fields higher than 4.1 MV/cm with negligible change to the device ON characteristics. The effect of BCl3/Cl2-based dry etch on (100) and (010) etched vertical sidewalls is also analyzed. A remarkable anisotropy in depletion was observed for etch along (100) and (010) sidewalls. This work provides insight into the impact of etching on n-type Ga2O3 and shows a promising method to realize efficient field termination for high breakdown field strength SBDs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In situ etching using Ga flux in an ultra-high vacuum environment like molecular beam epitaxy is introduced as a method to make high aspect ratio three-dimensional (3D) structures in β -Ga2O3. Etching of β -Ga2O3 due to excess Ga adatoms on the epilayer surface had been viewed as non-ideal for epitaxial growth especially since it results in plateauing and lowering of the growth rate. In this study, we use this well-known reaction from epitaxial growth to intentionally etch β -Ga2O3. We demonstrate etch rate ranging from 2.9 to 30 nm/min with the highest reported etch rate being only limited by the highest Ga flux used. Patterned in situ etching is also demonstrated and used to study the effect of fin orientation on the sidewall profiles and dopant (Si) segregation on the etched surface. Using in situ Ga etching, we also demonstrate 150 nm wide fins and 200 nm wide nanopillars with high aspect ratio. This etching method could enable future development of highly scaled vertical and lateral 3D devices in β -Ga2O3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two-dimensional MoS 2 gas sensors have conventionally relied on a change in field-effect-transistor (FET) channel resistance or in the Schottky contact/pn homojunction barrier. We demonstrate an enhancement in sensitivity (6×) and dynamic response along with a reduction in detection limit (8×) and power (10 4 ×) in a gate-tunable type-II WSe 2 (p)/MoS 2 (n) heterodiode gas sensor over an MoS 2 FET on the same flake. Measurements for varying NO 2 concentration, gate bias, and MoS 2 flake thickness, reinforced with first-principles calculations, indicate dual-mode operation due to (i) a series resistance-based exponential change in the high-bias thermionic current (high sensitivity), and (ii) a heterointerface carrier concentration-based linear change in near-zero-bias interlayer recombination current (low power) resulting in sub-100 μW/cm 2 power consumption. Fast and gate-bias tunable recovery enables an all-electrical, room-temperature dynamic operation. Coupled with the sensing of trinitrotoluene (TNT) molecules down to 80 ppb, this study highlights the potential of the WSe 2 /MoS 2 pn heterojunction as a simple, low-overhead, and versatile chemical-sensing platform.