Exact determination of electrical properties of wurtzite Al1−xInxN/(AlN)/GaN heterostructures (0.07 ≤ x ≤ 0.21) by means of a detailed charge balance equation

Abstract

This paper discusses the determination of key electrical parameters of AlInN/(AlN)/GaN heterostructures from capacitance–voltage (CV) measurements. These heterostructures gained recently importance since they allow for high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) devices with several remarkable records: densities of the 2D electron gas (2DEG) of 2.6 × 1013 cm−2 for lattice-matched (LM) heterostructures and barrier thickness of 14 nm, beyond 2 A/mm saturation currents, above 100 GHz operation for heterostructures grown on Si (111) with gate length of 0.1 µm. Despite these striking experimental results, a consistent determination of the most important electrical parameters, namely polarization sheet charge density, surface potential, and dielectric constant of the alloy are still missing. By setting up the correct charge balance equation, these parameters can unambiguously be determined. For instance, in the case of nearly LM Al0.85In0.15N these parameters amount to σAl0.85In0.15N/GaN ~ 3.7 × 1017 m−2, eΦS ~ 3 eV and ɛAl0.85In0.15N ~11.2, for the charge density, the surface barrier potential, and the dielectric constant, respectively.