Neutron Radiation Effects in Epitaxially Laterally Overgrown GaN Films

Abstract

Neutron radiation effects were studied in undoped n-GaN films grown by epitaxial lateral overgrowth (ELOG). The irradiation leads to carrier removal and introduces deep electron traps with activation energy 0.8 eV and 1 eV. After the application of doses exceeding 1017 cm−2, the material becomes semi-insulating n-type, with the Fermi level pinned near the level of the deeper electron trap. These features are similar to those previously observed for neutron irradiated undoped n-GaN prepared by standard metal–organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). However, the average carrier removal rate and the deep center introduction rate in ELOG samples is about five-times lower than in MOCVD samples. Studies of electron beam induced current (EBIC) show that the changes in the concentration of charged centers are a minimum in the low-dislocation-density laterally overgrown regions and radiation-induced damage propagates inside these laterally overgrown areas from their boundary with the high-dislocation-density GaN in the windows of the ELOG mask.