Low Resistance Asymmetric III-Nitride Tunnel Junctions Designed by Machine Learning

The tunnel junction (TJ) is a crucial structure for numerous III-nitride devices. A fundamental challenge for TJ design is to minimize the TJ resistance at high current densities. In this work, we propose the asymmetric p-AlGaN/i-InGaN/n-AlGaN TJ structure for the first time. P-AlGaN/i-InGaN/n-AlGaN...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Rongyu Lin, Peng Han, Yue Wang, Ronghui Lin, Yi Lu, Zhiyuan Liu, Xiangliang Zhang, Xiaohang Li
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2021-09-01
Series:Nanomaterials
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2079-4991/11/10/2466
Description
Summary:The tunnel junction (TJ) is a crucial structure for numerous III-nitride devices. A fundamental challenge for TJ design is to minimize the TJ resistance at high current densities. In this work, we propose the asymmetric p-AlGaN/i-InGaN/n-AlGaN TJ structure for the first time. P-AlGaN/i-InGaN/n-AlGaN TJs were simulated with different Al or In compositions and different InGaN layer thicknesses using TCAD (Technology Computer-Aided Design) software. Trained by these data, we constructed a highly efficient model for TJ resistance prediction using machine learning. The model constructs a tool for real-time prediction of the TJ resistance, and the resistances for 22,254 different TJ structures were predicted. Based on our TJ predictions, the asymmetric TJ structure (p-Al<sub>0.7</sub>Ga<sub>0.3</sub>N/i-In<sub>0.2</sub>Ga<sub>0.8</sub>N/n-Al<sub>0.3</sub>Ga<sub>0.7</sub>N) with higher Al composition in p-layer has seven times lower TJ resistance compared to the prevailing symmetric p-Al<sub>0.3</sub>Ga<sub>0.7</sub>N/i-In<sub>0.2</sub>Ga<sub>0.8</sub>N/n-Al<sub>0.3</sub>Ga<sub>0.7</sub>N TJ. This study paves a new way in III-nitride TJ design for optical and electronic devices.
ISSN:2079-4991