Investigation of Electrical Performance Degradation of β-Ga2O3 Schottky Barrier Diodes Induced by X-Ray and Neutron Irradiation

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This paper presents a preliminary investigation into the total dose effects and displacement damage effects on β-Ga2O3 Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs) induced by X-rays with an average energy of 8–20 keV and 1 MeV reactor neutrons. The electrical performance of the devices before and after irradiation was evaluated through direct current (I-V) and capacitance–voltage (C-V) measurements. The results indicate that under X-ray irradiation, as the irradiation fluence increases, the forward current density, leakage current, and reverse current density of the devices increase, suggesting a progressive degradation of device performance with higher irradiation fluence. In the case of neutron irradiation, the forward current density decreases, while the leakage current and reverse current density increase with rising irradiation fluence. By employing techniques such as low-frequency noise (LFN) and deep-level transient spectroscopy (DLTS), changes in defect concentrations before and after irradiation were analyzed. It was found that the primary causes of device performance degradation are the interface defects induced by X-ray irradiation and the increased bulk defect concentration caused by neutron irradiation. These findings were further validated through two-dimensional numerical simulations using TCAD tools, providing significant theoretical insights and experimental data to enhance reliability and optimize the design of such devices.