Generation and transportation mechanisms for two-dimensional hole gases in GaN/AlGaN/GaN double heterostructures

The electrical properties of two-dimensional hole gases (2DHGs) in GaN/AlGaN/GaN double heterostructures were investigated. The layers were grown on sapphire substrates and a high-quality bulk GaN substrate. The coexistence of 2DHG and 2D electron gases on both sides of the AlGaN layer was confirmed by Hall effect measurements at 80–460 K. It was also verified that the 2DHGs were generated by negative polarization at the undoped GaN/AlGaN interface, which did not have a doped Mg acceptor. It was also demonstrated that the 2DHG density could be controlled by varying the AlGaN layer thickness and was inversely related to the 2DHG mobility. The measured relation indicated that the 2DHG mobility is mainly limited by phonon scatterings at around room temperature. As a result, the maximum 2DHG mobility of 16 cm2/Vs at 300 K was achieved with a density of 1 × 1013 cm−2.