Effect of light-ions implantation on resistivity of GaN thin film

Abstract

GaN is a very well-known semiconductor because of its properties, making it useful in different types of electronic devices. In electronics applications, the resistivity of the starting materials is very important. In this study, the resistivity of GaN thin films has been investigated upon its modification with ion implantation using both n-type and p-type GaN. Ionic implantation was performed with H, He, and Ar ions. The ion beam energy (60 and 120 keV) and flux (1.0 × 10¹² and 1.0 × 10¹⁵ cm⁻²·s⁻¹), as well as post-implantation annealing temperature (100°C–500°C), were varied to analyze their influence on GaN resistivity. It was observed that the resistivity changed in all samples with the change in ion beam flux and energy. At room temperature, the resistivity of n-type GaN increased from 1.9 × 10⁻² to 17.7 × 10⁻² Ω·cm. Among all modified samples, He-ion-implanted samples show higher resistivity. During the post-annealing treatment, n-type GaN implanted with He showed more consistency compared to p-type GaN. On the contrary, p-type showed some anomalous character upon post-annealing.