Abstract Multidimensional power devices can achieve performance beyond conventional limits by deploying charge‐balanced p‐n junctions. A key obstacle to developing such devices in many wide‐bandgap (WBG) and ultra‐wide bandgap (UWBG) semiconductors is the difficulty of native p‐type doping. Here the WBG nickel oxide (NiO) as an alternative p‐type material is investigated. The acceptor concentration (NA) in NiO is modulated by oxygen partial pressure during magnetron sputtering and characterized using a p‐n+heterojunction diode fabricated on gallium oxide (Ga2O3) substrate. Capacitance and breakdown measurements reveal a tunableNAfrom < 1018 cm−3to 2×1018 cm−3with the practical breakdown field (EB) of 3.8 to 6.3 MV cm−1. ThisNArange allows for charge balance to n‐type region with reasonable process latitude, andEBis high enough to pair with many WBG and UWBG semiconductors. The extractedNAis then used to design a multidimensional Ga2O3diode with NiO field‐modulation structure. The diodes fabricated with two differentNAboth achieve 8000 V breakdown voltage and 4.7 MV cm−1average electric field. This field is over three times higher than the best report in prior multi‐kilovolt lateral devices. These results show the promise of p‐type NiO for pushing the performance limits of power devices.
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NiO junction termination extension for high-voltage ( > 3 kV) Ga2O3 devices
Edge termination is the enabling building block of power devices to exploit the high breakdown field of wide bandgap (WBG) and ultra-wide bandgap (UWBG) semiconductors. This work presents a heterogeneous junction termination extension (JTE) based on p-type nickel oxide (NiO) for gallium oxide (Ga2O3) devices. Distinct from prior JTEs usually made by implantation or etch, this NiO JTE is deposited on the surface of Ga2O3 by magnetron sputtering. The JTE consists of multiple NiO layers with various lengths to allow for a graded decrease in effective charge density away from the device active region. Moreover, this surface JTE has broad design window and process latitude, and its efficiency is drift-layer agnostic. The physics of this NiO JTE is validated by experimental applications into NiO/Ga2O3 p–n diodes fabricated on two Ga2O3 wafers with different doping concentrations. The JTE enables a breakdown voltage over 3.2 kV and a consistent parallel-plate junction field of 4.2 MV/cm in both devices, rendering a power figure of merit of 2.5–2.7 GW/cm2. These results show the great promise of the deposited JTE as a flexible, near ideal edge termination for WBG and UWBG devices, particularly those lacking high-quality homojunctions.
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- PAR ID:
- 10464209
- Date Published:
- Journal Name:
- Applied Physics Letters
- Volume:
- 122
- Issue:
- 18
- ISSN:
- 0003-6951
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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