Improved crystal quality of β-Ga2O3 on sapphire (0001) substrates by induced-nucleation technique and enhancement of Ga2O3 UV photodetectors performance

Abstract

In this work, improved crystal quality of (–201)-oriented β-Ga₂O₃ thin films on N-ion implanted sapphire (0001) substrates is demonstrated. Benefiting from the well-organized nucleation islands induced on the sapphire substrate through N-ion implantation, large grains are formed during the growth process. Compared to the conventional sapphire substrates, the full width at half maximum of rocking curve for the β-Ga₂O₃ (–201) plane decreases from 9.93° to 1.50°, and the root mean square roughness decreases from 16.25 nm to 9.49 nm. Meanwhile, enhanced optical performance and a high responsivity of 288 A/W for UV photodetectors, based on the β-Ga₂O₃ thin films grown on N-ion implanted sapphire substrate with an N-ion doses of 10¹² cm⁻², are achieved.