Semiconducting Sn-doped β-Ga2O3 homoepitaxial layers grown by metal organic vapour-phase epitaxy

Sn-doped β-Ga2O3 epitaxial layers have been grown on (100) β-Ga2O3 substrates by metal organic vapour-phase epitaxy. Triethylgallium (TEGa), molecular oxygen (O2) and tetraethyltin (TESn) were used as Ga, O and Sn precursors, respectively. Layers grown at optimized temperature and chamber pressure, i.e. 850 °C and 5 mbar, had flat surfaces with a rms roughness of about 600 pm. Structural analysis by transmission electron microscopy revealed that the main defects in the layers were stacking faults and twin lamella. The incoherent boundaries of these defects are supposed to act as compensation and scattering centres, limiting the carrier mobility. Sn was homogeneously incorporated with a flat profile throughout the whole layer at concentration levels ranging from 2 × 1017 to 3 × 1019 cm−3 proportionally to the used TESn flux. All layers were electrically conductive. However, an unambiguous Hall effect was measurable only for Sn concentrations higher than 1 × 1018 cm−3, resulting in electron concentrations from 5 × 1017 to 2 × 1018 cm−3 at room temperature. For increasing free carrier concentrations, the electron mobility showed the tendency to increase from 10 to 30 cm2/Vs. The maximum mobility of 41 cm2/Vs, measured in a sample with free carrier concentration of 1 × 1018 cm−3, represents the highest value reported for β-Ga2O3 layers grown by MOVPE so far.