Effect of Annealing on Al Diffusion and its Impact on the Properties of Ga${}_2$O${}_3$ Thin Films Deposited on c-plane Sapphire by RF Sputtering

Abstract

Gallium oxide is a wide-bandgap semiconductor which has been steadily growing in popularity due to its ultra-wide bandgap, suitability for harsh environments and distinctive opto-electrical properties. Notable applications include deep-UV photodetectors, low loss waveguides or even transparent solar cells. RF sputtering stands out among possible techniques for the epitaxial deposition of Ga${}_2$O${}_3$ thin films with high quality and at a low cost. By using sapphire substrates, and through thermal annealing, we can form a $\beta$-(Al${}_x$Ga${}_{1-x}$)${}_2$O${}_3$ alloy by Al diffusion, which has tunable opto-electrical properties such as the bandgap and breakdown electric field. In this work, techniques such as X-ray diffraction, Rutherford backscattering spectrometry, Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and optical transmission are used to determine the optical properties, morphology and composition of Ga${}_2$O${}_3$ deposited and annealed thin films. To explore the formation of the $\beta$-(Al${}_x$Ga${}_{1-x}$)${}_2$O${}_3$ alloy, annealing was performed at variable temperature, in ambient air. It was determined that the bandgap can indeed be tuned between 4.85 and 5.30 eV by varying the annealing temperature, corresponding to an Al content between 0$-$68.5.