Effects of growth temperature on electrical properties of GaN/AlN based resonant tunneling diodes with peak current density up to 1.01 MA/cm2

Identical GaN/AlN resonant tunneling diode structures were grown on free-standing bulk GaN at substrate temperatures of 760 °C, 810 °C, 860 °C, and 900 °C via plasma-assisted molecular beam epitaxy. Each sample displayed negative differential resistance (NDR) at room temperature. The figures-of-merit quantified were peak-to-valley current ratio (PVCR), yield of the device with room-temperature NDR, and peak current density (Jp). The figures-of-merit demonstrate an inverse relationship between PVCR/yield and Jp over this growth temperature series. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy were used to determine the growth rates, and layer thicknesses were used to explain the varying figures-of-merit. Due to the high yield of devices grown at 760 °C and 810 °C, the PVCR, peak voltage (Vp), and Jp were plotted vs device area, which demonstrated high uniformity and application tunability. Peak current densities of up to 1.01 MA/cm2 were observed for the sample grown at 900 °C.