1-kV Sputtered p-NiO/n-Ga₂O₃ Heterojunction Diodes With an Ultra-Low Leakage Current Below 1~μ A/cm²

High performance NiO/β-Ga2O3heterojunction pn diodes were realized by applying a sputtered p-type NiO film onto a lightly doped n-type β-Ga2O3epitaxial layer. Taking advantage of the high barrier height against carriers within the pn heterojunction, the demonstrated device exhibited a high breakdown voltage (VB) of 1059 V without optimized electric field management techniques, and before breakdown the reverse leakage current density remained below 1 μA/cm2. Simultaneously, a relatively low specific on-resistance (Ron,sp) of 3.5 mΩ · cm2was achieved. The built-in potential of the heterojunction that determined by a capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurement was around 2.4 eV. As discussed in terms of the energy band diagram of a type-II heterojunction, the conduction band and valence band offsets at the NiO/β-Ga2O3hetero-interface were estimated to be 1.2 and 2.3 eV, respectively.