Vertical β-Ga2O3 Schottky Barrier Diodes with Enhanced Breakdown Voltage and High Switching Performance

Herein, vertical Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) based on a bulk beta-Ga2O3 substrate are developed. The devices feature an ion-implanted planar edge termination (ET) structure, which can effectively smoothen the electric field peak and reduce the electric field crowding at the Schottky junction edge. Greatly enhanced reverse blocking characteristics including approximate to 10(3)x lower reverse leakage current and 1.5x higher breakdown voltage (V-B) are achieved, whereas good forward conduction such as a reasonably high on-state current density and near-unity ideality factor is maintained. In addition, the switching performance of the fabricated vertical beta-Ga2O3 SBDs is investigated using a double-pulse test circuit. When switching from an on-state current of 350 mA to a reverse-blocking voltage of -100 V, the vertical beta-Ga2O3 SBDs exhibit fast reverse recovery with a reverse recovery time (t(rr)) of approximate to 14.1 ns and reverse recovery charge (Q(rr)) of approximate to 0.34 nC, outperforming the Si fast recovery diode (FRD) of similar ratings. The results indicate a great promise of vertical beta-Ga2O3 SBDs for high-voltage fast switching applications.