Deep Defects in Fe-Doped GaN Layers Analysed by Electrical and Photoelectrical Spectroscopic Methods

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe electrical activity of iron in Fe- doped, and in Si and Mg co-doped GaN layers grown on sapphire substrates by metal organic vapor phase epitaxy was studied as shown by temperature dependent Hall Effect (TDH) measurements. In all samples iron doping generates an acceptor defect, which compensates donors in n-type GaN. Furthermore, iron doping causes strong potential inhomogeneities, which decrease the Hall mobility in the layers. To verify, if iron creates only hole traps, defects in n-type Si:Fe and Fe doped samples were investigated. The well known dominant electron traps in n-type GaN at 520 – 550 meV and 480 meV were found by deep level transient spectroscopy and thermal admittance spectroscopy, respectively. A high Fe-doped GaN layer shows a low p-type conductivity dominated by the iron acceptor. An activation energy of EV+ 460 meV was determined by TDH indicating, that the iron acceptor correlates with this defect level.