Plasma Treatment for Leakage Reduction in AlGaN/GaN and GaN Schottky Contacts

It has been found that the reverse leakage current of AlGaN/GaN Schottky contacts can be significantly reduced by a CF₄ plasma treatment prior to the Schottky metal evaporation. The data of electrical characterization suggest that the leakage reduction is related to the modification of the semiconductor surface by plasma treatment. The leakage reduction effect was also observed in GaN Schottky contacts. Capacitance-voltage characterization of the GaN Schottky contacts indicates that the Schottky barrier height was slightly increased by the plasma treatment. A two-step surface treatment procedure, consisting of a BCI₃ plasma treatment followed by a brief CF₄ plasma treatment, has been developed as an efficient approach to reduce the reverse leakage of the Schottky contacts, while avoiding side effects related to the CF₄ plasma.