Over 1 GW/cm₂ Vertical Ga₂O₃ Schottky Barrier Diodes Without Edge Termination

This work demonstrates vertical <tex-math notation="LaTeX">β </tex-math>-Ga₂O₃ Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) breaking through the power figure of merit of 1 GW/cm² without edge termination. The unreliable surface on the top of <tex-math notation="LaTeX">~ 1.2× 10 ^16 </tex-math> cm⁻³ drift region, which naturally formed in air, was removed by inductively coupled plasma etching. The repaired surface was exposed to ambient air for less than 10 minutes during the entire preparation process. Compared with the excessive air exposure samples, the leakage current was well suppressed for the Ni/ <tex-math notation="LaTeX">β </tex-math>-Ga₂O₃ SBDs fabricated on a clean surface. Moreover, the blocking voltage reaches a maximum value of 1720 V, and the forward/reverse characteristics of the diodes on the same wafer show good uniformity. These results pave the way for further improving the performance of <tex-math notation="LaTeX">β </tex-math>-Ga₂O₃ devices and verify the potential of <tex-math notation="LaTeX">β </tex-math>-Ga₂O₃ SBDs for power applications.