Ge doping of α-Ga2O3 thin films via mist chemical vapor deposition and their application in Schottky barrier diodes

We performed Ge doping of α-Ga2O3 thin films grown on m-plane sapphire substrates using mist chemical vapor deposition. Although the typical growth rate was high at 4 μm/h, the resultant α-Ga2O3 thin films exhibited high crystallinity. We controlled the carrier density in the range of 8.2 × 1016–1.6 × 1019 cm−3 using bis2-carboxyethylgermanium(IV)sesquioxide as the Ge source. The highest mobility achieved was 66 cm2 V−1 s−1 at a carrier concentration of 6.3 × 1017 cm−3. Through secondary ion mass spectrometry analysis, a linear relationship between the Ge concentration in the α-Ga2O3 thin films and the molar ratio of Ge to Ga in the source solution was established. The quasi-vertical Schottky barrier diode fabricated using the Ge-doped α-Ga2O3 thin films exhibited an on-resistance of 7.6 mΩ cm2 and a rectification ratio of 1010. These results highlight the good performance of the fabricated device and the significant potential of Ge-doped α-Ga2O3 for power-device applications.