【International Papers】Investigation of properties of Ta-doped Ga₂O₃ films prepared with seed layers

      Ga₂O₃ is a promising ultra-wide bandgap semiconductor as a feasible candidate for power electronics, photodetectors, and sensors. Controlling electrical properties through doping is the key to its application in semiconductor devices. In this work, Ta-doped Ga₂O₃ films were prepared by radio frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering with seed layers. Effects of the thickness of seed layers on the microstructure, morphology, optical and electrical properties of Ta-doped Ga₂O₃ films were investigated. The fabricated Ta-doped Ga₂O₃ films exhibited polycrystalline structure with uniform and smooth surface and high optical transmittance (＞80 %) in the visible light region. The results showed that seed layers with appropriate thickness (∼20 nm) is beneficial to the improvement of crystalline quality and electrical properties of Ta-doped Ga₂O₃ films.