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Epitaxial Growth of Alpha Gallium Oxide Thin Films on Sapphire Substrates for Electronic and Optoelectronic Devices: Progress and Perspective

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Abstract

The demand for high-efficient and robust power semiconductors in harsh environments such as high temperature and high voltage has been enlarged with the fast development of the industry. Gallium oxide (Ga2O3) with a larger bandgap energy of 4.8–5.3 eV than Si, SiC, and GaN is a promising material suitable for next-generation power devices. Among the Ga2O3’s phases, corundum structured α-Ga2O3 has attracted much attention, benefiting from the epitaxial growth on cheap sapphire substrate and the existence of p-type materials with the same crystal structure. This paper comprehensively reviews the progress on the epitaxial growth of α-Ga2O3 thin films and the fabrication of α-Ga2O3-based electronic and optoelectronic devices. First, state-of-the-art technologies for improving the crystal quality of α-Ga2O3 depending on growth methods are presented. Secondly, the current research level of growth of n-type doped α-Ga2O3 is comprehended. Finally, the recent progress of electronic and optoelectronic devices, including Schottky diodes, field-effect transistors, and solar-blind photodetectors, is summarized.

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Fig. 1

Copyright 2019, American Chemical Society. iv Selective area growth of α-Ga2O3. v The graph showing mobility as a function of carrier concentration. Reproduced with permission [62]. Copyright 2019, Wiley–VCH. vi Schematic of α-Ir2O3/α-Ga2O3 heterojunction. Reproduced with permission [38]. Copyright 2021, AIP publishing. vii Schematic of MSM α-Ga2O3 photodetector. Reproduced with permission [114]. Copyright 2021, AVS. b The number of publications and citations on α-Ga2O3 per year conducted since 2011. The publication search was performed using the web of science [v.5.35]–web of sciencecore collection search: keywords of alpha gallium oxide or (α-Ga2O3) have been used

Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Copyright 2021, Wiley–VCH. c Schematic of the growth mechanism of α-Ga2O3 in mist CVD. d Concentration profiles of 18O, 16O, and Ga atoms of the α-Ga2O3 thin films grown with mist CVD. Reproduced with permission [79]. Copyright 2020, AIP publishing

Fig. 4

Copyright 2019, AIP Publishing. d XRD theta-2theta scan of α-(AlxGa1-x)2O3 thin films depending on aluminum contents by mist CVD. Reproduced with permission [49]. Copyright 2018, AIP Publishing. e XRD theta-2theta spectra, f resistivity and optical bandgap of α-(InxGa1−x)2O3 thin films as a function of In contents. Reproduced with permission [42]. Copyright 2014, Elsevier B.V

Fig. 5

Copyright 2016, AIP Publishing. Reproduced with permission [89]. Copyright 2021, AIP Publishing. c SEM images of α-Ga2O3 selectively grown on sapphire nanomembrane with the stipe patterns lying in the [11\(\overline{2}\)0] and [1\(\overline{1}\)00] directions. d Reconstructed TEM images of α-Ga2O3 on the bottom and top of the pattern lying in the [1\(\overline{1}\)00] direction. Reproduced with permission [90]. Copyright 2021, American chemical society

Fig. 6

Copyright 2015, IEEE. d The device schematic, band structure, and e I-V characteristics pn heterojunction with α-Ir2O3/α-Ga2O3. Reproduced with permission [38]. Copyright 2021, AIP Publishing. f The device structure of Mg-doped α-(Ir, Ga)2O3/α-Ga2O3 pn heterostructure diodes and corresponding g I-V characteristics. Reproduced with permission [39]. Copyright 2021, AIP Publishing

Fig. 7

Copyright 2018, Elsevier B.V. c Device structure and XRD theta/2theta spectrum of Al NPs decorated α-Ga2O3 grown by mist CVD, d Spectral responsivity of the Al NP-enhanced photodetectors, and e the comparison of dark current characteristics of devices with and without Al NPs. Reproduced with permission [113]. Copyright 2019, American chemical society. f MSM detector based on Si-doped α-Ga2O3 grown by HVPE, g photo-to-dark current ratio and EQE (%) under UV regime at 5 V. Reproduced with permission [114]. Copyright 2021, AVS

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Acknowledgements

D. Yang, B. Kim, and T. H. Eom contributed equally to this work. This research was supported by the Strategic Core Material Development Program through the Korea Evaluation Institute of Industrial Technology (KEIT) funded by the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy (MOTIE) (No.10080736). The Inter-University Semiconductor Research Center and Institute of Engineering Research at Seoul National University provided research facilities for this work.

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  1. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Research Institute of Advanced Materials, Seoul National University, Seoul, 08826, Republic of Korea

    Duyoung Yang, Byungsoo Kim, Tae Hoon Eom & Ho Won Jang

  2. Advanced Institute of Convergence Technology, Seoul National University, Suwon, 16229, Republic of Korea

    Yongjo Park & Ho Won Jang

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  1. Duyoung Yang
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D. Yang, B. Kim, T. H. Eom, Y. J. Park, and H. W. Jang conceived of the outline of the manuscript. D. Yang, B. Kim, T. H. Eom wrote the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Ho Won Jang.

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Yang, D., Kim, B., Eom, T.H. et al. Epitaxial Growth of Alpha Gallium Oxide Thin Films on Sapphire Substrates for Electronic and Optoelectronic Devices: Progress and Perspective. Electron. Mater. Lett. 18, 113–128 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13391-021-00333-5

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