Fabrication of Al/n-GaN/p-Si/Al diodes by thermal evaporation and evaluation of effect of gamma irradiation on device properties

This study investigates the impact of γ-irradiation on the material and device properties of Al/n-GaN/p-Si/Al heterojunction diodes. GaN thin films were deposited on glass and p-Si substrates using thermal evaporation, followed by annealing at 450 ◦ C. The diodes were subjected to γ-irradiation doses of 0, 3, and 6 kGy. X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements revealed significant structural changes, including phase transitions influenced by radiation. Electrical characteristics were assessed through current–voltage (I-V) measurements within the ± 2 V range. Notably, the ideality factor for the annealed diodes improved from 6.60 to 4.62 and 3.85 with increased γ-irradiation. The barrier height was determined to be 0.85 eV, and it did not exhibit a significant change upon γ-irradiation dose. The results provided valuable insights into the response of heterojunction diodes to radiation exposure, aiding in the understanding and potential improvement of the radiation resistance of GaN-based electronic devices.