SiO 2 -passivated lateral-geometry GaN transparent Schottky-barrier detectors

Abstract

We report on a transparent Schottky-barrier ultraviolet detector on GaN layers over sapphire substrates. Using SiO2 surface passivation, reverse leakage currents were reduced to a value as low as 1 pA at 5 V reverse bias for 200 μm diameter device. The device exhibits a high internal gain, about 50, at low forward biases. The response time (about 15 ns) is RC limited, even in the internal gain regime. A record low level of the noise spectral density, 5×10−23 A2/Hz, was measured at 10 Hz. We attribute this low noise level to the reduced reverse leakage current.