Potential of gallium oxide as a radiation hard technology

Abstract

Gallium oxide (Ga₂O₃) is an emerging and promising candidate for high-power and radiation-rich environments, such as space, thanks to its ultra-wide bandgap (~ 4.9 eV) and high critical electrical field (~ 8 MV/cm). Radiation in space, such as protons, alpha particles and heavy ions, can cause serious damage to electronic devices and even lead to permanent damage. However, assessing these devices' reliability and radiation hardness in space-like environments is often expensive and complex. In the present work, we utilize a technology computer-aided design (TCAD) simulation-based framework that uses the concept of non-ionizing energy loss (NIEL) to evaluate the displacement damage in electronic devices under particle irradiation. To assess the radiation tolerance of Ga₂O₃ diodes, first, a TCAD model for Ga₂O₃ Schottky barrier diodes (SBD) is developed and calibrated/benchmarked to an experimental device, followed by irradiation simulations. The results show that Ga₂O₃ SBD can withstand a 5 MeV proton fluence of ~ 10¹⁵ cm⁻² with no change in the forward current voltage (IV) characteristics. This value is significantly higher than that of 4H-SiC (~5 × 10¹³ cm⁻²) and Si (~1 × 10¹²) SBDs with the same ideal breakdown voltage - V_BR (1600 V), demonstrating the potential of Ga₂O₃ as a radiation-hard technology.