Effect of surface oxidation on electron transport in InN thin films

The chemical and electron transport properties of oxidized indium nitride epilayers and indium oxide/indium nitride heterostructures are reported. It is shown that the accumulation of electrons at the InN surface can be manipulated by the formation of a thin surface oxide layer using an ozone-assisted oxidation processing. It results in improved transport properties and in a reduction of the electron sheet concentration of the InN epilayer caused by a passivation of the surface donors and a shift of the electron density distribution peak from the surface toward the bulk InN. Using the ensemble Monte Carlo simulation method, the electron mobility for different dislocation densities and surface band bending values has been calculated. The theoretical results correlate well with our experimental data. In opposition to the ozone treatment, in epitaxial oxide/nitride heterojunctions the electron sheet concentration of InN raises due to the increasing band bending at the heterointerface affecting adversely the electron transport properties. (c) 2007 American Institute of Physics.