Controlling the electronic properties of Ga2O3 by pure thermal and pure fast neutron irradiation

Project Member(s): Ton-That, C., Phillips, M.

Funding or Partner Organisation: The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO Project funding)
The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation)

Start year: 2023

Summary: Gallium oxide (Ga2O3) is an ultra-wide bandgap (4.9 eV) semiconductor with a much larger breakdown field (8 MV/cm) than SiC and Si, which are currently used to fabricate devices for the power electronics industry. The unique properties of Ga2O3 allow the fabrication of much thinner devices, making them substantially more energy efficient and cost effective. Significantly, these innovative oxide-based devices are critical to the development of high-performance electricity generation and transmission in renewable energy systems. However, all Ga2O3 devices demonstrated thus far are unipolar being only n-type, which is currently limiting the use of this material in many emerging optoelectronic, sensing and power electronic devices. The work proposed in this project will utilise both pure thermal and pure fast neutron fluxes to produce both n-type and p-type Ga2O3 with controllable electronic properties for efficient Ga2O3-based bipolar devices. This proposal has two specific aims: (i) to dope Ga2O3 bulk crystals and thin films with Ge donors by pure thermal neutron irradiation to control the electrical properties of the host material; and (ii) to produce native acceptor-like defects in thin films and nano-crystals of Zn:Ga2O3 by irradiating with pure fast neutrons to enhance their p-type conductivity.

FOR Codes: Condensed matter physics, Nanoscale characterisation, Expanding knowledge in the physical sciences