This article is cited in 6 papers

Manufacturing, processing, testing of materials and structures

The effect of neutron irradiation and annealing temperature on the electrical properties and lattice constant of epitaxial gallium nitride layers

V. M. Boiko^a, S. S. Verevkin^a, N. G. Kolin^a, A. V. Korulin^a, D. I. Merkurisov^a, A. Ya. Polyakov^b, V. A. Chevychelov<sup>a

a</sup> Karpov Institute of Physical Chemistry, Obninsk Branch
^b JSC "Giredmet" SRC RF, the Federal State Research and Design Institute of Rare Metal Industry, Moscow

Abstract: Effect of irradiation with high reactor-neutron fluences ($\Phi$ = 1.5 $\times$ 10$^{17}$–8 $\times$ 10$^{19}$ cm$^{-2}$) and subsequent heat treatments in the temperature range 100–1000$^\circ$C on the electrical properties and lattice constant of epitaxial GaN layers grown on an Al$_2$O$_3$ substrate is considered. It is shown that, with the neutron fluence increasing to (1–2) $\times$ 10$^{18}$ cm$^{-2}$, the resistivity of the material grows to values of about 10$^{10}$ $\Omega$ cm because of the formation of radiation defects, and, with the fluence raised further, the resistivity passes through a maximum and then decreases to 2 $\times$ 10$^6$ $\Omega$ cm at 300 K, which is accounted for by the appearance of a hopping conductivity via deep defects in the overlapping outer parts of disordered regions. With the neutron fluence raised to 8 $\times$ 10$^{19}$ cm$^{-2}$, the lattice constant $\mathbf{c}$ increases by 0.38% at a nearly unchanged parameter $\mathbf{a}$. Heat treatment of irradiated samples at temperatures as high as 1000$^\circ$C does not fully restore the lattice constant and the electrical parameters of the material.

Received: 06.05.2010
Accepted: 11.06.2010

 English version: Semiconductors, 2011, 45:1, 134–140

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