Crystalline AlN Interfacial Layer on GaN Using Plasma-Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition
In this study, we report on the deposition of a highly crystalline AlN interfacial layer on GaN at 330 °C via plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD). Trimethylaluminum (TMA) and NH<sub>3</sub> plasma were used as the Al and N precursors, respectively. The crystallinity and mass...
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MDPI AG
2021-04-01
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| Series: | Crystals |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/11/4/405 |
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doaj-093dfab7f1c2491281bfc0228a0ff46e2021-04-10T23:02:45ZengMDPI AGCrystals2073-43522021-04-011140540510.3390/cryst11040405Crystalline AlN Interfacial Layer on GaN Using Plasma-Enhanced Atomic Layer DepositionIl-Hwan Hwang0Myoung-Jin Kang1Ho-Young Cha2Kwang-Seok Seo3Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Inter-University Semiconductor Research Center, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-744, KoreaDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Inter-University Semiconductor Research Center, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-744, KoreaSchool of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, Hongik University, Seoul 121-791, KoreaDepartment of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Inter-University Semiconductor Research Center, Seoul National University, Seoul 151-744, KoreaIn this study, we report on the deposition of a highly crystalline AlN interfacial layer on GaN at 330 °C via plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD). Trimethylaluminum (TMA) and NH<sub>3</sub> plasma were used as the Al and N precursors, respectively. The crystallinity and mass density of AlN were examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray reflectivity (XRR) measurements, respectively, and the chemical bonding states and atomic concentrations of the AlN were determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The AlN/n-GaN interface characteristics were analyzed using TOF-SIMS and STEM, and the electrical characteristics of the AlN were evaluated using metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) capacitors. The PEALD process exhibited high linearity between the AlN thickness and the number of cycles without any incubation period, as well as a low carbon impurity of less than 1% and high crystal quality even at a low deposition temperature of 330 °C. Moreover, the GaN surface oxidation was successfully suppressed by the AlN interfacial layer. Furthermore, enhanced electrical characteristics were achieved by the MIS capacitor with AlN compared to those achieved without AlN.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/11/4/405GaNAlNAlHfONALDinterfacial layerMIS capacitor |
| collection |
DOAJ |
| language |
English |
| format |
Article |
| sources |
DOAJ |
| author |
Il-Hwan Hwang Myoung-Jin Kang Ho-Young Cha Kwang-Seok Seo |
| spellingShingle |
Il-Hwan Hwang Myoung-Jin Kang Ho-Young Cha Kwang-Seok Seo Crystalline AlN Interfacial Layer on GaN Using Plasma-Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition Crystals GaN AlN AlHfON ALD interfacial layer MIS capacitor |
| author_facet |
Il-Hwan Hwang Myoung-Jin Kang Ho-Young Cha Kwang-Seok Seo |
| author_sort |
Il-Hwan Hwang |
| title |
Crystalline AlN Interfacial Layer on GaN Using Plasma-Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition |
| title_short |
Crystalline AlN Interfacial Layer on GaN Using Plasma-Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition |
| title_full |
Crystalline AlN Interfacial Layer on GaN Using Plasma-Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition |
| title_fullStr |
Crystalline AlN Interfacial Layer on GaN Using Plasma-Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition |
| title_full_unstemmed |
Crystalline AlN Interfacial Layer on GaN Using Plasma-Enhanced Atomic Layer Deposition |
| title_sort |
crystalline aln interfacial layer on gan using plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition |
| publisher |
MDPI AG |
| series |
Crystals |
| issn |
2073-4352 |
| publishDate |
2021-04-01 |
| description |
In this study, we report on the deposition of a highly crystalline AlN interfacial layer on GaN at 330 °C via plasma-enhanced atomic layer deposition (PEALD). Trimethylaluminum (TMA) and NH<sub>3</sub> plasma were used as the Al and N precursors, respectively. The crystallinity and mass density of AlN were examined using X-ray diffraction (XRD) and X-ray reflectivity (XRR) measurements, respectively, and the chemical bonding states and atomic concentrations of the AlN were determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The AlN/n-GaN interface characteristics were analyzed using TOF-SIMS and STEM, and the electrical characteristics of the AlN were evaluated using metal-insulator-semiconductor (MIS) capacitors. The PEALD process exhibited high linearity between the AlN thickness and the number of cycles without any incubation period, as well as a low carbon impurity of less than 1% and high crystal quality even at a low deposition temperature of 330 °C. Moreover, the GaN surface oxidation was successfully suppressed by the AlN interfacial layer. Furthermore, enhanced electrical characteristics were achieved by the MIS capacitor with AlN compared to those achieved without AlN. |
| topic |
GaN AlN AlHfON ALD interfacial layer MIS capacitor |
| url |
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4352/11/4/405 |
| work_keys_str_mv |
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