Two-dimensional polarization doping of GaN heterojunction and its potential for realizing lateral p–n junction devices

Abstract

In the gallium nitride (GaN) commercial applications such as high-power illumination and portable charging station, bipolar devices are highly demanded because of their superior power transfer capability. Also, in other scenarios of the monolithic integration where high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs) or superlattice-based devices are presented, the peripheral components are preferred to be lateral. However, to realize such a lateral bipolar junction in GaN, high-concentration p-type dopant doping is still challenging and hardly compatible with the HEMT integration. In this work, we proposed a novel strategy to form lateral bipolar GaN p–n junctions, enabled by the two-dimensional polarization doping. The theory and the simulation reveal this strategy features inspiring forwarding, blocking, and switching performance. Given the recent success of the GaN selective area regrowth techniques, the proposed lateral bipolar junction is highly promising in monolithic heterojunction integration in the future.