Structural and electrical characterization of monolithic core–double shell n-GaN/Al/p-AlGaN nanowire heterostructures grown by molecular beam epitaxy

Abstract

We have studied the epitaxy and structural characterization of monolithic n-GaN/Al/p-AlGaN nanowire heterostructures. It is found that high quality, nearly defect free, full shell epitaxial Al can be grown in situ on Al(Ga)N nanowires and vice versa. Detailed scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM), high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) suggest that the Al (111) plane maintains an epitaxial relationship with Al(Ga)N (0001) in the nanowire growth direction. Full ultraviolet composition range (340 nm–210 nm) Al/Al(Ga)N core–double shell nanowire backward diode characteristics were investigated. We have demonstrated a monolithic n⁺⁺-GaN/Al/p⁺⁺-Al(Ga)N nanowire backward diode, wherein an epitaxial Al layer serves as the tunnel junction. Such an Al(Ga)N-based n–p–n nanowire backward diode exhibits record low resistivity (<1.5 × 10⁻⁴ Ω cm²) and a low turn-on voltage of ∼2.7 V.