Thickness Dependence of Current Conduction and Carrier Distribution of GaAsN Grown on GaAs

Abstract

Thickness dependence of the properties of GaAsN grown on GaAs was investigated by characterizing GaAs/GaAs0.982N0.018/GaAs Schottky diodes by current–voltage (I–V), capacitance–voltage (C–V) profiling and deep-level transient spectroscopy (DLTS). I–V characteristics show a considerable increase in the saturation current when the GaAsN thickness is increased from 60 to 250 Å. As GaAsN thickness is increased further, the I–V characteristic deviates from that of a normal Schottky diode with a large series resistance. These I–V characteristics correlate well with carrier distribution. In thick GaAsN samples, C–V profiling shows carrier depletion in the top GaAs layer and frequency-dispersion accumulation in the GaAsN layer. DLTS spectra show that the carrier depletion in the top GaAs layer is due to an EL2 trap and the frequency-dispersion accumulation is due to the removal of electrons from a trap at 0.35 eV in the GaAsN layer. Increasing the GaAsN thickness markedly increases the magnitude of both traps. The large series resistance in thick GaAsN samples is due to EL2 that markedly depletes the top GaAs layer.