Thermal annealing behaviour on Schottky barrier parameters and structural properties of Au contacts to n-type GaN

We have investigated the thermal annealing effects on electrical and structural properties of Au Schottky contacts on n-type GaN using current–voltage (I–V), capacitance–voltage (C–V), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) measurements. The calculated Schottky barrier height of the as-deposited Au/n-GaN diode was 0.85 eV (I–V) and 1.4 eV (C–V), respectively. However, after annealing at 300 °C it was found that the Schottky barrier height (SBH) slightly decreased to 0.77 eV (I–V) and 1.24 eV (C–V), and then slightly increased to 0.83 eV (I–V) and 1.30 eV (C–V) when the contact was annealed at 400 °C. With further increase in annealing temperature to 500 °C the barrier height was decreased and the respective values are 0.73 eV (I–V) and 1.02 eV (C–V). Based on the X-ray diffraction and RBS results, the formation of gallide phases at the Au/n-GaN interface could be the reason for variation in the Schottky barrier heights upon annealing temperatures