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Virginia Tech

Low Carbon n-GaN Drift Layers for Vertical Power Electronic Devices

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

GaN holds significant potential as a material for vertical p-n diodes, enabling the realization of devices with reverse breakdown voltages of 5 kV or higher. Carbon serves as the primary compensating dopant in the growth process, incorporated into GaN during metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) growth. The level of carbon incorporation depends on several factors, including growth rate, ammonia flow, temperature, pressure, and trimethylgallium (TMGa) flow. Through guided empirical modeling, it was demonstrated that the carbon incorporation in GaN growth could be predicted using a single parameter based on the ratio of ammonia flow to the growth rate. This model accurately predicts carbon concentrations ranging from 1x1017 to 5x1014 cm-3 while allowing for maximized growth rates. Other extrinsic dopants have either been reduced below the threshold of consideration or modeled using similar single-parameter relationships. By identifying the dominant extrinsic dopants and accounting for them, an intrinsic defect with a concentration of 2.2x1015 cm-3 was identified. By combining these relationships, growth conditions for n-GaN were optimized, resulting in electron concentrations as low as 1x1015 cm-3. Leveraging these techniques, p-n diodes were grown, achieving a reverse breakdown voltage as high as 3.1 kV.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Doctor of Philosophy
Level thesis:degree_level
doctoral
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Materials Science and Engineering
Department dc:contributor.department
Materials Science and Engineering
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
2023

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Carlson, Eric Paul
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Guido, Louis J.
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Lu, Guo Quan
  • Suchicital, Carlos T. A.
  • Reynolds, William T. Jr.
  • Ngo, Khai D.

Subjects

dc:subject × 8

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright
Language dc:language.iso
en

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
vt_gsexam:37926
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/115781

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Carlson, Eric Paul. Low Carbon n-GaN Drift Layers for Vertical Power Electronic Devices. doctoral thesis, Virginia Tech, 2023. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/115781