Journal of Sensor Science and Technology (센서학회지)

The Korean Sensors Society (한국센서학회)
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Asymmetric Metal-Semiconductor-Metal Al0.24Ga0.76N UV Sensors with Surface Passivation Effect Under Local Joule Heating

  • Byeong-Jun Park (School of Electrical Engineering, Kyungpook National University) ;
  • Sung-Ho Hahm (School of Electrical Engineering, Kyungpook National University)
  • Received : 2023.11.20
  • Accepted : 2023.11.24
  • Published : 2023.11.30
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Abstract

An asymmetric metal-semiconductor-metal Al0.24Ga0.76N ultraviolet (UV) sensor was fabricated, and the effects of local Joule heating were investigated. After dielectric breakdown, the current density under a reverse bias of 2.0 V was 1.1×10-9 A/cm2, significantly lower than 1.2×10-8 A/cm2 before dielectric breakdown; moreover, the Schottky behavior of the Ti/Al/Ni/Au electrode changed to ohmic behavior under forward bias. The UV-to-visible rejection ratio (UVRR) under a reverse bias of 7.0 V before dielectric breakdown was 87; however, this UVRR significantly increased to 578, in addition to providing highly reliable responsivity. Transmission electron microscopy revealed interdiffusion between adjacent layers, with nitrogen vacancies possibly formed owing to local Joule heating at the AlGaN/Ti/Al/Ni/Au interfaces. X-ray photoelectron microscopy results revealed decreases in the peak intensities of the O 1s binding energies associated with the Ga-O bond and OH-, which act as electron-trapping states on the AlGaN surface. The reduction in dark current owing to the proposed local heating method is expected to increase the sensing performance of UV optoelectronic integrated devices, such as active-pixel UV image sensors.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

This study was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean Government (No.2020R1I1A3A04037962). This work was also supported by the BK21 Four Project, funded by the Ministry of Education, Korea (No. 4199990113966).

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