Wide Bandgap Materials Research Articles

Structural, electronic and optical properties of α -Si3N4, β-Si3N4 and γ-Si3N4 using density functional theory

Density Functional Theory (DFT) has in recent years gained a lot of popularity and has become an efficient and reliable tool in the study of material properties. This is specifically due to its computational convenience and excellent results in the prediction of material properties, which is aided by the development of highly efficient and accurate functionals. DFT has successfully been applied in a vast study of material at both ground and excited states. In this study based on DFT structural, optical, electronic properties and phonon frequency of silicon nitrides of different phases were studied using the GGA as exchange-correlation functional. For the electronic band gap calculation the results was obtained using the GGA and the hybrid HSE06 respectively for α -Si3N4 with space group (P31c), β-Si3N4 with space group (P63/m) and γ-Si3N4 phase polymorph with space group (14‾3d). Results obtained for the phases α -Si3N4 shows a narrow indirect band gap while β and γ -Si3N4 indicate a wide indirect band gap material for wide possible application in high temperature and high-power applications. Cohesive energy calculation and phonon frequencies were obtained to check the mechanical and dynamic stability of the three different phases. Results obtain for density of states, partial density of states and the optical properties, such as absorption coefficient, refractive index, extinction coefficient, reflectivity and electron energy loss spectra which all show good agreement with previous studies and relative experimental data.

Plasmonic Silver Nanoparticles Facilitate Electron Emission from Diamond upon Sun‐like Excitation

The development of a stable, non‐toxic material that emits electrons following absorption of visible light may have a major impact on the solar photocatalysis of difficult reactions such as CO$_2$ and N$_2$ reduction, as well as for targeted chemical transformations in general. Diamond is a good candidate, however it is a wide bandgap material requiring deep UV photons (λ < 227 nm) to promote electrons from the valence band into the conduction band. Embedding silver nanoparticles under the diamond surface allows the photoconductivity of the diamond in the spectral region of the surface plasmon resonance to be increased, while also leading to an enhancement of visible light photoemission. Considering the low intensity of the light sources used in this work and the spectral properties of the enhanced photoconductivity and photoemission a mechanism based on plasmonically enhanced photoconductivity which in turn allows surface states emptied by photoemission to be recharged thus leading to enhanced photoemission in the visible range is proposed.

Narrowband Electroluminescence from Color Centers in Hexagonal Boron Nitride.

Defects in wide bandgap materials have emerged as promising candidates for solid-state quantum optical technologies. Electrical excitation of single emitters may lead to scalable on-chip devices and therefore is highly sought after. However, most wide bandgap materials are not amenable to efficient doping, posing challenges for electrical excitation and on-chip integration. Here, we demonstrate narrowband electroluminescence from visible and near-infrared color centers in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). We harness van der Waals tunnel junctions of graphene-hBN-graphene. Charge carriers are electrically injected into hBN, exciting localized defects that emit nonclassical light, as characterized by the second order correlation measurement. Remarkably, the devices operate at room temperature and produce robust, narrowband emission spanning from visible to the near-infrared. Our work marks an important milestone in vdW materials and their promising attributes for integrated quantum technologies and on-chip photonic circuits.

Bandgap Characteristics of Boron-Containing Nitrides—Ab Initio Study for Optoelectronic Applications

Hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) is recognized as a 2D wide bandgap material with unique properties, such as effective photoluminescence and diverse lattice parameters. Nitride alloys containing h-BN have the potential to revolutionize the electronics and optoelectronics industries. The energy band structures of three boron-containing nitride alloys—BxAl1−xN, BxGa1−xN, and BxIn1−xN—were calculated using standard density functional theory (DFT) with the hybrid Heyd–Scuseria–Ernzerhof (HSE) function to correct lattice parameters and energy gaps. The results for both wurtzite and hexagonal structures reveal several notable characteristics, including a wide range of bandgap values, the presence of both direct and indirect bandgaps, and phase mixing between wurtzite and hexagonal structures. The hexagonal phase in these alloys is observed at very low and very high boron concentrations (x), as well as in specific atomic configurations across the entire composition range. However, cohesive energy calculations show that the hexagonal phase is more stable than the wurtzite phase only when x > 0.5, regardless of atomic arrangement. These findings provide practical guidance for optimizing the epitaxial growth of boron-containing nitride thin films, which could drive future advancements in electronics and optoelectronics applications.

Extremely Low Thermal Resistance of β-Ga2O3 MOSFETs by Co-integrated Design of Substrate Engineering and Device Packaging.

Gallium oxide (Ga2O3) emerges as a promising ultrawide bandgap semiconductor, which is expected to surpass the performance of current wide bandgap materials, like GaN and SiC, in electronic devices. However, widespread application of Ga2O3 is hindered by its extremely low thermal conductivity and lack of effective device-level thermal management strategies. In this work, Ga2O3 metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) are fabricated by conducting co-integrated design of substrate engineering with layer transferring and device packaging. 3D Raman thermography is introduced as a novel method to analyze the temperature distribution within the device, which provides valuable insights into their thermal performances. A high-quality Ga2O3-SiC heterogeneous integrated material is successfully fabricated with an extremely low interface thermal resistance of 6.67 ± 2 m2·K/GW. Compared to the homoepitaxial Ga2O3 MOSFETs, the degradation of Ion/Ioff in Ga2O3-SiC MOSFETs is decreased by 1.5 orders of magnitude, and that of Ron is decreased by 31%, showing the great thermal stability of Ga2O3-SiC MOSFETs. With the additional device packaging, a significant one order-of-magnitude reduction in the thermal resistance of the Ga2O3-SiC MOSFET is achieved, reaching a record-low value of 4.45 K·mm/W in the reported Ga2O3 MOSFETs. This work demonstrates an efficient strategy for device-level thermal management in next-generation Ga2O3 power and RF applications.

Fabrication of In2S3 and In–Ga–S Thin Films via Atmosphere‐Controlled Fine‐Channel Mist Chemical Vapor Deposition

In the field of thin‐film solar cells, there is a growing need for cadmium‐free buffer layers and fabrication techniques that are both cost‐effective and environmentally friendly. In this study, the deposition of In2S3 and In–Ga–S thin films as alternative buffer layer materials in thin‐film solar cells, using mist chemical vapor deposition (CVD) at atmospheric pressure, is focused on. Indium diethyldithiocarbamate (DTC) and gallium DTC dissolved in dehydrated tetrahydrofuran are used as precursors. The deposited In2S3 demonstrates a wider direct bandgap (Eg‐dir ≈ 2.7 eV) than CdS, showing a potential for reducing parasitic absorption. Introducing a certain amount of gallium into In2S3 induces structural changes, resulting in a wider bandgap material. This bandgap widening primarily lowers electron affinity, making it beneficial for absorber materials with wider bandgap energies. Overall, the In2S3 and In–Ga–S thin films deposited via mist CVD exhibit preferable properties as alternatives to the CdS buffer layer. Moreover, the deposition technique proposed in this study can be adapted for the nonvacuum and cost‐effective deposition of other sulfide materials.

Broadband nonlinear refraction transients in C-doped GaN based on absorption spectroscopy

Optical nonlinear response and its dynamics of wide-bandgap materials are key to realizing integrated nonlinear photonics and photonic circuit applications. However, those applications are severely limited by the unavailability of both dispersion and dynamics of nonlinear refraction (NLR) via conventional measurements. In this work, the broadband NLR dynamics with extremely high sensitivity (λ/1000) can be obtained from absorption spectroscopy in GaN:C using the refraction-related interference model. Both the absorption and refraction kinetics are found to be significantly modulated by the C-related defects. Especially, we demonstrate that the refractive index change Δn of GaN:C is negative and can be used to realize all-optical switching applications owing to the large NLR and ultrafast switching time. The NLR under different non-equilibrium carrier distributions originates from the capture of electrons by CN+ defect state, while the absorption modulation originates from the excitation of tri-carbon defects. We believe that this work provides a better understanding of the GaN:C nonlinear properties and an effective solution to broadband NLR dynamics of transparent thin films or heterostructure materials.

Pure Hexagonal Diamond with Symmetry-Doping Properties.

The difficulties in asymmetrical doping of wide band gap materials, especially for the n-type diamond challenge, hamper their application in electronic devices. Here, we propose doping diamond polytypes with reasonable band structures to solve this problem. Various elements are doped into six diamond polytypes, and their doping behaviors are investigated. The results show that pure hexagonal (2H) diamond has the band gap with a value of 4.42 eV and the smallest carrier effective masses among six calculated diamond polytypes, exhibiting high electron mobility and hole mobility up to 4250 and 5840 cm2·V-1·s-1, respectively. Compared to cubic (3C) diamond, the impurity formation energy in 2H-diamond is reduced, which is attributed to its C3v symmetry. More importantly, 2H-diamond exhibits favorable doping symmetry with a donor level of 0.14 eV for phosphorus and an acceptor level of 0.19 eV for boron, respectively, which originate from smaller effective masses and stronger delocalization at the band edge in 2H-diamond. These ionization energies are smaller than those in 3C-diamond of 0.32 and 0.58 eV, respectively. This reveals that phosphorus and boron in 2H-diamond are more easily excited at room temperature, producing good n- and p-type conductivities. All of these make 2H-diamond a potential candidate for the replacement of 3C-diamond as a wide band gap material theoretically. These provide a way to realize high-quality n-type diamond, giving significant insights into the realization of diamond-based electronic devices. This also supplies a solution for the difficulties in asymmetric doping of other wide band gap materials.

Boosting synergistic hole separation and transfer in the TiO2-MXene photoanode by depositing amorphous NiOOH/CoOOH cocatalysts

The efficient separation and transport of photogenerated charge carriers within the photoanode are pivotal for achieving high-performance photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting. In this study, TiO2-MXene nanowire arrays (NWAs) adorned with amorphous CoOOH/NiOOH (CN) were fabricated using hydrothermal and photo-assisted electrodeposition techniques. TiO2-MXene-CN NWAs demonstrated a photocurrent density of 1.51 mA/cm2 at 1.23 V versus the reversible hydrogen electrode (vs. RHE), which is 1.46 times and 2.79 times that of TiO2-CN and TiO2, respectively. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, photoluminescence, time-resolved photoluminescence, and Mott-Schottky analysis unveiled that the incorporation of MXene and CN substantially augmented the separation of photogenerated electron-hole pairs and efficient charge carrier utilization. Furthermore, the loading of MXene-CN layers ameliorated the light absorption performance of bare TiO2 NWAs. This work provides valuable insights for the design of photoelectrodes employing wide-bandgap materials.

Switching figure-of-merit, optimal design, and power loss limit of (ultra-) wide bandgap power devices: A perspective

Power semiconductor devices are utilized as solid-state switches in power electronics systems, and their overarching design target is to minimize the conduction and switching losses. However, the unipolar figure-of-merit (FOM) commonly used for power device optimization does not directly capture the switching loss. In this Perspective paper, we explore three interdependent open questions for unipolar power devices based on a variety of wide bandgap (WBG) and ultra-wide bandgap (UWBG) materials: (1) What is the appropriate switching FOM for device benchmarking and optimization? (2) What is the optimal drift layer design for the total loss minimization? (3) How does the device power loss compare between WBG and UWBG materials? This paper starts from an overview of switching FOMs proposed in the literature. We then dive into the drift region optimization in 1D vertical devices based on a hard-switching FOM. The punch-through design is found to be optimal for minimizing the hard-switching FOM, with reduced doping concentration and thickness compared to the conventional designs optimized for static FOM. Moreover, we analyze the minimal power loss density for target voltage and frequency, which provides an essential reference for developing device- and package-level thermal management. Overall, this paper underscores the importance of considering switching performance early in power device optimization and emphasizes the inevitable higher density of power loss in WBG and UWBG devices despite their superior performance. Knowledge gaps and research opportunities in the relevant field are also discussed.

Numerical analysis of hybrid perovskite solar cells with NiOx and TiO2 as the charge transport layer

ABSTRACT This work exposits a hybrid perovskite-based solar cell consisting of NiOx as an electron-blocking material and TiO2 as a hole-blocking material to enhance its performance. Because the EBL material is critical to increasing efficiency and stability in a perovskite-based photovoltaic device, NiOx is being taken as a blocking material for improved reliability. It is also cost-effective and shows less hysteresis in contrast with alternative EBL materials. In addition, a wide band gap material like TiO2 as HBL is considered for enhancing carrier transportation phenomena that improve device performance. The efficiency of the suggested photovoltaic device is assessed in terms of solar parameters using the TCAD numerical simulation tool, accounting for the impacts of the thickness of the perovskite material, the density of defects, and the blocking material doping concentration. Also, the temperature reliability study is thoroughly investigated, considering all the optimised thicknesses of different layers and their optimised doping level.

Current matching and filtered spectrum analysis of wide-bandgap/narrow-bandgap perovskite/CIGS tandem solar cells: A numerical study of 34.52 % efficiency potential

Perovskite (PVK) materials with wide-bandgap (WBG) play a crucial role in achieving high-performance tandem devices but phase segregation and open-circuit voltage (VOC) loss hinders in surpassing the efficiency of single-junction solar cells. Present work discloses a numerical simulation which has been carried out using a WBG material CH3NH3PbI3-xClx of bandgap (Eg) 1.65eV as an absorber layer of the top cell (TCELL) and a Cu(In,Ga)Se2-based cell having narrow-bandgap (NBG) of Eg (1.27eV) has been used as bottom cell (BCELL). The TCELL utilizes polyethyleneimine ethoxylated (PEIE) interfacial layer to promote charge-collection and charge-tunneling. The TCELL and BCELL have been optimized by various optimization processes such as simultaneous thickness variation of active-region with defect density (DD), variation of interface defect density (IDD) with solar-cell parameters a commendable power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 27.06 %, and 26.77 % has been achieved for respective solar-devices. Variations of numerous electron transport layer (ETL) and hole transport layer (HTL) have also been performed to acquire highly optimized TCELL. Thus, a perovskite/CIGS tandem solar cell (PVK/CIGS-TSC) device has been obtained using filtered-spectra analysis and current-matching (method which display a promising photovoltaic (PV) parameter with a high VOC of 2.29 V, short-circuit current density (JSC) of 17.41 mA/cm2, fill factor (FF) of 86.45 % and PCE of 34.47 %. These discoveries hold significant promise for the future development of TSCs.

Synthesis and characterization of Sn-doped TiO2 thin films for biosensor application

TiO2 a wide bandgap material has a great potential for use in semiconductor industry due to its better electronic properties combined with low cost, chemical stabilioty and nontoxicity. Further metal doping is found to modify the conductivity, electrical, and optical characteristics. In this research, deposition of Sn-doped TiO2 was carriedout using the spray pyrolysis technique. The electrical properties were obtained by using the Hall effect technique and structural properties of the film were analyzed by X-ray diffraction and EDAX Scanning electron microscopy. The result of X-ray diffraction showed that the thin film deposited by spray pyrolysis is polycrystalline with preferential orientation in the direction of (002) fields. SEM analysis exhibited membrane structure for the thin film deposited by spray pyrolysis. The results of electrical conductivity were obtained by using the Hall effect technique.

Cation-eutaxy-enabled III-V-derived van der Waals crystals as memristive semiconductors.

Novel two-dimensional semiconductor crystals can exhibit diverse physical properties beyond their inherent semiconducting attributes, making their pursuit paramount. Memristive properties, as exemplars of these attributes, are predominantly manifested in wide-bandgap materials. However, simultaneously harnessing semiconductor properties alongside memristive characteristics to produce memtransistors is challenging. Herein we prepared a class of semiconducting III-V-derived van der Waals crystals, specifically the HxA1-xBX form, exhibiting memristive characteristics. To identify candidates for the material synthesis, we conducted a systematic high-throughput screening, leading us to 44 prospective III-V candidates; of these, we successfully synthesized ten, including nitrides, phosphides, arsenides and antimonides. These materials exhibited intriguing characteristics such as electrochemical polarization and memristive phenomena while retaining their semiconductive attributes. We demonstrated the gate-tunable synaptic and logic functions within single-gate memtransistors, capitalizing on the synergistic interplay between the semiconducting and memristive properties of our two-dimensional crystals. Our approach guides the discovery of van der Waals materials with unique properties from unconventional crystal symmetries.

Comprehensive study of photoluminescence and device properties in Cu2Zn(Sn1−xGex)S4 monograins and monograin layer solar cells

Ge-alloying of Cu2ZnSnS4 is a promising strategy for producing wide-bandgap absorber materials suitable for use in tandem structures or indoor solar cell applications. Incorporating Ge can suppress Sn-related defects while maintaining the kesterite structure and p-type conductivity throughout the entire range of composition. In this study, Cu2Zn(Sn1−xGex)S4 monograins were synthesized in molten salt by the synthesis-growth method, where value x was varied from 0 to 1, with a step of 0.2. The inclusion of Ge into the crystals was confirmed by energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction analysis. The bandgaps of Cu2Zn(Sn1−xGex)S4 solid solutions were determined as Eg = 1.50–2.25 eV by external quantum efficiency measurement. A detailed study of temperature and laser power-dependent photoluminescence (PL) for powder crystals with x = 0, x = 0.2 and x = 0.4 revealed that the dominant recombination mechanisms originate from defect clusters involving a shallow acceptor and deep donor defect. Ge-alloying helped to suppress the harmful SnZn donor defects, but at the same time shifted the defects' energy levels deeper into the bandgap. The obtained activation energies indicate that the acceptor defect becomes shallower with the inclusion of Ge. At the mid-temperature range (T = 60–200 K), the presence of two different recombinations was revealed in the system, originating from very closely located PL emission bands.

Nanosecond laser structuring for enhanced pool boiling performance of SiC surfaces

Silicon carbide (SiC), which has a wide bandgap and superior material properties, offers higher efficiency than conventional silicon in high-power and high-frequency semiconductor applications. In this study, the thermal management of SiC devices was explored through direct liquid cooling with laser-structured heat sinks. Pyramid-structured fin arrays were fabricated directly onto SiC substrates via laser structuring, and their boiling heat transfer performance was investigated through pool boiling experiments in a 5 °C subcooled condition. Laser structuring not only enhanced wettability due to oxidation but also facilitated nucleation through the laser-induced crevices. The oxidized surface created by the laser exhibited increased hydrophilicity, with a significant decrease in contact angle from 57° to 0°. In the pool boiling experiments, these crevices played a crucial role in enhancing the heat-transfer coefficient (HTC) at low heat fluxes (5–40 W/cm2), which promoted nucleation, resulting in the formation of very small and rapid bubbles. At heat fluxes above 180 W/cm2, the large surface area provided by the height of the fin structures further contributed to enhancing the HTC. The sample with the highest performance enhancement exhibited an 114 % increase in critical heat flux and a remarkable 393 % increase in the HTC compared to before laser structuring.

An Aerosol-Assisted Chemical Vapor Deposition Route to Tin-Doped Gallium Oxide Thin Films with Optoelectronic Properties.

Gallium oxide is a wide-bandgap compound semiconductor material renowned for its diverse applications spanning gas sensors, liquid crystal displays, transparent electrodes, and ultraviolet detectors. This paper details the aerosol assisted chemical vapor deposition synthesis of tin doped gallium oxide thin films using gallium acetylacetonate and monobutyltin trichloride dissolved in methanol. It was observed that Sn doping resulted in a reduction in the transmittance of Ga2O3 films within the visible spectrum, while preserving the wide bandgap characteristics of 4.8 eV. Furthermore, Hall effect testing revealed a substantial decrease in the resistivity of Sn-doped Ga2O3 films, reducing it from 4.2 × 106 Ω cm to 2 × 105 Ω cm for the 2.5 at. % Sn:Ga2O3 compared to the nominally undoped Ga2O3.

(Invited) Advanced Electronic Characterization of Wide Band Gap Semiconductor Defects at the Nanoscale

Wide bandgap materials such as gallium nitride (GaN) and gallium oxide (Ga2O3) are currently under development for realizing next-generation high power electronic devices beyond silicon. Vertical structures produced through homoepitaxial growth are preferred for scaling high-voltage devices, which places strict demands on the quality of bulk substrates. In particular, extended defects can propagate during epitaxial growth into the active areas of devices. Therefore, there is a need for identifying defects and determining their electronic properties at relevant nano- to micro- scale dimensions in order to disentangle their combined effects on macroscopic devices. Here, we use a combination of laser-based photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM) and electrical atomic force microscopy (AFM) methodologies to investigate the local electronic properties of surface defects in epitaxially grown GaN and β-Ga2O3. PEEM is a non-scanning electron microscopy technique where photoelectrons emitted by a surface illuminated by deep-ultraviolet light are imaged with nanometer-scale spatial resolution. The emitted photoelectrons are sensitive to the local electronic structure, making PEEM a powerful tool for evaluating electronic changes at length scales relevant for devices, and provides valuable information for identifying “killer” defects which must be minimized during device growth and processing.The difficulty in producing large, low dislocation density bulk GaN substrates has led to longstanding issues with leakage current in diodes and transistor devices. We identify surface defects with different electronic properties in GaN epitaxy on different substrates using PEEM. We observe star-shaped defects on strain-patterned GaN substrates and elongated dark patches on growth ridges on ammonothermally grown GaN substrates. In both cases, the observed electronic changes in PEEM correlate directly with local electrical AFM measurements, revealing that local changes in the electronic structure at these defects results in altered electrical conduction.In contrast, the development of large bulk Ga2O3 substrates has been more successful, yet the identification and influence of various defects on device performance is still largely unknown at this point. The topography of β-Ga2O3 epitaxy varies widely between growth methods and substrate orientations. For example, β-Ga2O3 by hydride vapor physical epitaxy lacks fine structure, yet has surface defects that regularly appear in parallel orientations. In β-Ga2O3 grown on different substrate orientations, we observe variations in the surface electronic properties using PEEM. For certain substrate orientations and growths, we find nanoscale variations in doping, while other orientations display micron-scale electronic inhomogeneity and defects. Our results demonstrate that laser-based PEEM can be a powerful tool for detecting electrically active defects, as well as evaluating the nanoscale electronic homogeneity of wide bandgap semiconductors.

Amine-Based Chemistries for the Megasonic Removal of Alumina Nanoparticles from Oxidized Silicon Carbide

Increasing demand for improved Integrated Circuit (IC) technology has propelled the advancement from silicon as a semiconductor material to Wide Band Gap (WBG) materials (i.e., Silicon carbide (SiC), Gallium nitride (GaN)) due to their intrinsic properties (i.e., increased thermal stability, wear resistance, etc.). While these traits make WBGs ideal semiconductor materials, the Chemical Mechanical Planarization (CMP) process becomes difficult as these surfaces are more chemically inactive. To overcome this, the CMP process has shifted to incorporate more aggressive chemical and mechanical conditions (i.e., highly oxidative chemistries, increased shear force, etc.) to reach desired material removal rates (MRR). Traditional post-CMP (pCMP) cleaning processes combine high shear forces via a Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) brush with oxidative cleaning chemistries to remove CMP residue. This, however, results in secondary defect generation (i.e., scratches, pitting, brush debris) on the substrate surface. A low-shear force, non-contact cleaning process via megasonic energy is one way to combat secondary defect generation. The megasonic energy serves a dual function of reducing the substrate’s surface boundary layer, which allows for enhanced surface interaction with various cleaning solutions while also generating reactive oxygen species (ROS) that activate the chemistry. This work focuses on amine-based cleaning chemistries for oxidized SiC substrates. The introduction of the amine leads to a reduction of the oxidized surface, allowing for a weakened residue-substrate bond for an improved particle removal efficiency (PRE). Initial results have shown that amine-based standard clean 1 (SC-1) produced comparable results to previously utilized cleaning chemistries (i.e., Supramolecular chemistries), with a PRE of 11.4%. The PRE of SC-1 increases significantly in proportion to sonication power, with the highest PREs ranging between 90% to 96%. This work will provide insight into oxidized SiC surface behavior by incorporating other amine-based cleaning chemistries.

Low Frequency Electronic Noise Characterization of Au-W/β-Ga2O3 Schottky Diodes

Ultra-wide bandgap (UWBG) semiconductors have attracted tremendous amount of interest for applications in high-power electronics and solar-blind UV photodetectors. In particular, β-Ga2O3 has attracted significant research attention in recent years due to its promising electrical and optical characteristics including a large bandgap, high breakdown electrical field, and large Baliga’s figure of merit compared to well-established wide-bandgap technologies such as GaN and SiC [1].Low frequency electronic noise, which is present in all electronic devices, can be used as a diagnostic tool for semiconductor material and device characterization. By studying the low frequency noise in semiconductor materials and devices, the physics associated with the noise properties of bulk and interface defects and traps can be investigated [2]. Measurement of low frequency noise is also crucial for evaluating material quality and device reliability.In this work, we investigate the forward-bias diode parameters and low-frequency electronic noise in Au-W/β-Ga2O3 Schottky barrier diodes. The Schottky contact is formed by depositing 20 nm of Tungsten (W) using dc sputtering followed by 340 nm of Gold (Au) using e-beam evaporation, and subsequent annealing [3].We first measure the I-V characteristics and extract important diode parameters, such as the Schottky barrier height, ideality factor, and series resistance from room temperature forward-bias current-voltage characteristics. The extracted Schottky barrier height for these devices is in the range 0.7-0.8 eV and the ideality factor is approximately 1.2.We next measure the low-frequency electronic noise in Au-W/β-Ga2O3 Schottky diodes at different forward bias voltages at room temperature. We find that the current noise spectral density exhibits 1/f-type behavior for all forward bias voltages at low frequency with an exponent ranging from 0.75 to 1.15, indicating that the low frequency noise of these devices is dominated by excess (flicker) noise. No Lorentzian-shaped generation-recombination (G-R) noise is observed. At low frequencies, the shot noise contribution is found to be negligible for the values of the current in our devices, and the total noise is 1/f-limited.We also investigate the dependence of the current noise spectral density on forward bias current, revealing different relationships in different current regimes. At low currents, the noise spectral density is found to scale approximately as the square of current, whereas at high currents, the noise spectral density begins to saturate. Such noise behavior can be attributed to different noise sources dominating in different current regimes. Furthermore, using the noise figure of merit adapted for ultra-wide bandgap semiconductor devices [4], we find that the Au-W/β-Ga2O3 devices have lower noise levels compared to other emerging UWBG materials and similar noise levels as well-established technologies such as GaN.These results provide important insights into the electronic noise properties of Au-W/β-Ga2O3 Schottky diodes and show that low frequency noise characterization is an important diagnostic tool for assessing the quality and reliability of gallium oxide based wide-bandgap materials and device technologies.