Correlation of microstructure with electrical behavior of Ti/GaN schottky contacts

Abstract

We correlate structural and electrical characteristics of as-deposited and low-temperature annealed Ti contacts on GaN. Temperature dependent currentvoltage measurements are used to determine the effective barrier heights of the respective contacts, while high-resolution transmission electron microscopy is utilized for structural characterization. As-deposited Ti contacts are slightly rectifying with an effective barrier height of ∼200 meV. After annealing at 230°C, the barrier height increases to values of ∼450 meV. A similar behavior of Schottky contacts with more strongly rectifying diodes upon low-temperature annealing is observed for Zr metal contacts on GaN. As-deposited Ti already forms a thin TiN layer at the GaN interface. After annealing at 230°C, the average thickness and the distribution of TiN grains remain practically unchanged, but the interface with GaN roughens. We correlate the observed barrier height changes with interface roughness and phase formation and we discuss the results in terms of interface damage and the Schottky-Mott theory.