Effects of GaN cap layer thickness on an AlN/GaN heterostructure

Abstract

In this study, we investigate the effects of GaN cap layer thickness on the two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) electron density and 2DEG electron mobility of AlN/GaN heterostructures by using the temperature-dependent Hall measurement and theoretical fitting method. The results of our analysis clearly indicate that the GaN cap layer thickness of an AlN/GaN heterostructure has influences on the 2DEG electron density and the electron mobility. For the AlN/GaN heterostructures with a 3-nm AlN barrier layer, the optimized thickness of the GaN cap layer is around 4 nm and the strained a-axis lattice constant of the AlN barrier layer is less than that of GaN.