Leakage mechanism in GaN and AlGaN schottky interfaces

Based on detailed temperature-dependent current-voltage (I-V-T) measurements the mechanism of leakage currents through GaN and AlGaN Schottky interfaces is discussed. The experiments were compared to calculations based on thin surface barrier model in which the effects of surface defects were taken into account. Our simulation method reproduced the experimental I-V-T characteristics of the GaN and AlGaN Schottky diodes, and gave excellent fitting results to the reported Schottky I-V curves in GaN for both forward and reverse biases at different temperatures. The present results indicate that the barrier thinning caused by unintentional surface-defect donors enhances the tunneling transport processes, leading to large leakage currents through GaN and AlGaN Schottky interfaces. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.