Space-charge domains in n-type GaN epilayers under pulsed electric field

Formation and drift of space-charge domains with velocity of sound were experimentally observed in charge current traces of a high-quality lightly doped GaN semiconductor under pulsed electric fields at room and liquid nitrogen temperatures. A GaN epilayer was developed on an Ammono GaN substrate to achieve the electron density and low-field mobility values of 1.06 × 1016 cm−3 and 1021 cm2/V s (at 300 K) and 0.21 × 1016 cm−3 and 2652 cm2/V s (at 77 K), respectively. The formation of moving space-charge domains was observed only in samples with the lengths of 1 mm and longer arising at the critical electric fields starting from ∼0.4 and ∼0.8 kV/cm at 77 and 300 K, respectively. Basic electron transport parameters were found investigating short samples with the lengths of 65 μm and shorter in a wide range of electric fields up to 150 kV/cm, at which the thermal material breakdown occurred. The critical length of a sample for space-charge domain formation was estimated considering the acoustoelectric effects in analysis of pulsed current–voltage characteristics, thus defining the constraints for the design of GaN-based power electronic devices.