Enhancing the Electron Mobility in Si-doped (010) $\beta$-Ga$_2$O$_3$ films with Low-Temperature Buffer Layers

Abstract

We demonstrate a new substrate cleaning and buffer growth scheme in $\beta$-Ga$_2$O$_3$ epitaxial thin films using metalorganic vapor phase epitaxy (MOVPE). For the channel structure, a low-temperature (LT, 600 $^\circ$C) undoped Ga$_2$O$_3$ buffer is grown followed by transition layers to a high-temperature (HT, 810 $^\circ$C) Si-doped Ga$_2$O$_3$ channel layers without growth interruption. The (010) Ga$_2$O$_3$ Fe-doped substrate cleaning uses solvent cleaning followed by an additional HF (49% in water) treatment for 30 mins before the epilayer growth. This step is shown to compensate the parasitic Si channel at the epilayer-substrate interface that originates from the substrate polishing process or contamination from the ambient. SIMS analysis shows the Si peak atomic density at the substrate interface is several times lower than the Fe atomic density in the substrate - indicating full compensation. The elimination of the parasitic electron channel at the epi-substrate interface was also verified by electrical (capacitance-voltage profiling) measurements. In the LT-grown buffer layers, it is seen that the Fe forward decay tail from the substrate is very sharp with a decay rate of $\sim$ 9 nm$/$dec. These channels show record high electron mobility in the range of 196 - 85 cm$^2$/Vs in unintentionally doped and Si-doped films in the doping range of 2$\times$10$^{16}$ to 1$\times$10$^{20}$ cm$^{-3}$. Si delta-doped channels were also grown utilizing this substrate cleaning and the hybrid LT-buffers. Record high electron Hall mobility of 110 cm$^2$/Vs was measured for sheet charge density of 9.2$\times$10$^{12}$ cm$^{-2}$. This substrate cleaning combined with the LT-buffer scheme shows the potential of designing Si-doped $\beta$-Ga$_2$O$_3$ channels with exceptional transport properties for high performance gallium oxide-based electron devices.