【Device Papers】Effects of surface ultraviolet/ozone treatment on the electrical characteristics of Pt/Ga₂O₃/SiC Schottky diodes

      Researchers from the Kwangwoon University have published a dissertation titled "Effects of surface ultraviolet/ozone treatment on the electrical characteristics of Pt/Ga₂O₃/SiC Schottky diodes" in Applied Physics A.

Abstract

      This study investigates the effects of ultraviolet/ozone (UV/O₃) treatment on the electrical and morphological characteristics of Pt/Ga₂O₃ diodes. Surface treatment is crucial in gallium oxide (Ga₂O₃)-based devices due to its ability to reduce surface defects and improve interface quality, significantly enhancing device performance. Electrical characterization was performed using capacitance–voltage (C–V), current–voltage (I–V), breakdown voltage (BV), and temperature-dependent current–voltage (I–V–T) measurements. Surface analysis was performed via X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). The UV/O₃-treated diodes exhibited improved performance, with the on/off ratio increasing from 5.60 × 10³ to 2.49 × 10⁴ and reduced reverse leakage current. Additionally, the treatment reduced Schottky barrier inhomogeneity, indicating a more uniform metal/semiconductor interface. These improvements are attributed to the reduction of oxygen vacancy defects and enhanced surface morphology, as confirmed by XPS and AFM. The results suggest that UV/O₃ treatment effectively enhances the performance of Ga₂O₃-based diodes by controlling interface properties.

DOI：

https://doi.org/10.1007/s00339-024-08198-9