Ion energy dependence of dry etch damage depth in Ga2O3 Schottky rectifiers

The 8-polytype of Ga2O3 has a high critical electric field strength (-8 MV.cm(-1)) and can be grown as large diameter (6 in.) single crystal boules by inexpensive melt-growth techniques. This makes it promising for next generation power electronics and solar-blind UV photodetectors. Since wet etching is not feasible for patterning such devices due to the chemical inertness of Ga2O3, attention is focused on dry etching, with the attendant issue of surface modification due to chemical or ion-induced changes. In this work, we demonstrate that dry etch damage in 8-Ga2O3 is manifested by a reduction in near-surface carrier concentration, possibly due to the introduction of Gav acceptor states. The depth to which the carrier density is affected depends on the interplay between ion energy and etch rate, with faster etch rates reducing the depth of the remaining damaged region. The maximum damage depth observed experimentally from capacitance-voltage profiling on Schottky rectifiers was -110 nm, well beyond the range of the ions in the Inductively Coupled Plasmas and emphasizing that rapid diffusion of point defects occurs into the sample during the etch step. Using Schottky rectifier structures as a platform to understand the effect of dry etch damage on device parameters, we found that on-state resistance was more affected than ideality factor or breakdown voltage, with a large increase (5x) for ion energies >= 325 eV. Reverse current density characteristics showed the presence of trap-assisted space-charge-limited conduction in the damaged layers. The implications for high power rectifier fabrication are discussed.

Automated summary

The 8-polytype of Ga2O3 is a promising material for next generation power electronics and solar-blind UV photodetectors due to its high critical electric field strength and ability to be grown as large diameter single crystals. Dry etching is being focused on for patterning such devices, but it may cause surface modification and damage to the material. This study demonstrates that dry etch damage in 8-Ga2O3 leads to a reduction in near-surface carrier concentration, affecting device parameters like on-state resistance and introducing trap-assisted space-charge-limited conduction in the damaged layers.