【Domestic Papers】Influence of High-Dose 80 MeV Proton Irradiation on the Electronic Structure and Photoluminescence of β-Ga₂O₃

      Researchers from the College of Physics Science and Technology, Yangzhou University have published a dissertation titled " Influence of High-Dose 80 MeV Proton Irradiation on the Electronic Structure and Photoluminescence of β-Ga₂O₃ " in Journal of Electronic Materials.

Abstract

      β-Ga₂O₃ is regarded as one of the best materials for application in deep space exploration; thus, research on β-Ga₂O₃-related radiation damage is necessary for the use of devices in harsh environments. The present work explored the effects of 80 MeV high-energy proton irradiation on β-Ga₂O₃ single crystals with fluence of 4 × 10¹³ cm⁻² and 1 × 10¹⁴ cm⁻². X-ray photoelectron spectrometry (XPS) and ultraviolet photoelectron spectrometry (UPS) measurements demonstrated that before proton irradiation, the Fermi level was pinned at the mid-gap energy level due to the existence of native oxygen and gallium vacancy defects. After proton irradiation, gallium and oxygen vacancies increased with irradiation fluence, resulting in the reduction of the bandgap of β-Ga₂O₃. Proton irradiation of β-Ga₂O₃ at 80 MeV is more likely to produce oxygen vacancies; hence, the Fermi level shifts upward to the conduction band. In addition, the UV photoluminescence emission at 3.29 eV is greatly enhanced with irradiation fluence. These results will be helpful for the design of UV devices.

原文链接：https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11664-023-10687-1