Electron traps formed by gamma-ray irradiation in homoepitaxial n-type GaN and their annealing behavior

Gamma-ray irradiations of up to 500 kGy on homoepitaxial n-type GaN layers were carried out, and the formation of electron traps was investigated by deep-level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) using Ni Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs). Before performing DLTS, current–voltage (I–V) and capacitance–voltage (C–V) measurements of the SBDs were performed and it was found that there was no change in the net donor concentration, ideality factor, and Schottky barrier height after irradiation. In the DLTS measurements, two new peaks, labeled G1 and G2, were observed after irradiation. The filling pulse width dependence of G1 revealed that the peak consists of two electron trap levels, labeled G1a (EC − 0.13 eV) and G1b (EC − 0.14 eV). Isothermal capacitance transient spectroscopy measurements of samples with different Schottky barrier heights showed that the G2 peak is a complex peak consisting of at least three electron traps, labeled G2a (EC − 0.80 eV), G2b (EC − 0.98 eV), and G2c (EC − 1.08 eV). The production rates (formation rates of traps by gamma-ray irradiation) for each trap were obtained. Finally, we investigated the annealing behavior of each trap and found that G1b and G2b decreased by the same amount with increasing annealing temperature, suggesting that the behavior originates from a recombination of vacancy–interstitial (Frenkel) pairs.