Vertical $β$-Ga$_2$O$_3$ Schottky Diodes with Deep-Etch Field Termination using Plasma-free Ga-assisted Etching

Abstract

A deep-etch field termination strategy using a Ga-assisted plasma-free etching technique in a low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) system is demonstrated for $β$-Ga$_2$O$_3$ Schottky barrier diodes (SBDs). The thermally activated etching method provides a plasma-free approach for forming deep mesa terminations while maintaining excellent device integrity. The fabricated diodes exhibit excellent forward conduction characteristics with a turn-on voltage of 1.14~V, a Schottky barrier height (SBH) of 1.15~eV, an ideality factor of 1.20, and a specific on-resistance of 3.72~m$Ω\cdot$cm$^2$, all closely matching those of the unetched planar devices. Capacitance-voltage analysis further confirms a uniform carrier concentration of $2\times10^{16}$~cm$^{-3}$ and an SBH of 1.23~eV, indicating stable electrical characteristics after deep mesa formation. Temperature-dependent electrical measurements from 25 to 250$^\circ$C demonstrate stable thermionic-emission transport behavior, with a gradual increase in on-resistance at elevated temperatures due to phonon-limited carrier mobility. Over this temperature range, the SBH decreases from 1.16 to 1.12~eV, while the ideality factor increases from 1.21 to 1.33. The leakage current remains low throughout the entire temperature range, and the rectification ratio remains above $10^{5}$ even at 250$^\circ$C. Under reverse bias, the diodes exhibit an increase in breakdown voltage from 287V to 500V, confirming the effectiveness of geometric electric-field redistribution achieved by the deep-etched mesa structure. Silvaco TCAD simulations corroborate these experimental observations by showing significant suppression of electric-field crowding near the anode edge. These results establish Ga-assisted plasma-free etching as a reliable, damage-free field termination technique for high-performance $β$-Ga$_2$O$_3$ power devices.