Electron Injection-Induced Effects in GaN: Physics and Applications

摘要

Electron injection into p-type GaN and related compounds leads to a pronounced increase in the minority carrier lifetime. This increase is manifested in a multiple-fold elongation of the minority carrier diffusion length as is evident from the Electron Beam Induced Current (EBIC) measurements in-situ in a Scanning Electron Microscope. Minority carrier transport enhancement as a result of electron injection is consistent with the changes observed in the material's luminescent properties. Based on the activation energy for the electron injection-induced effects, we ascribe this phenomenon to charging of Mg-acceptor related levels. In addition, we demonstrate an impact of electron injection on responsivity of GaN p-i-n photodetectors.