https://doi.org/10.1140/epjs/s11734-024-01387-w
Regular Article
Gallium vacancy displacement damage induced by 1 MeV neutron irradiation in β-Ga2O3 solar-blind photodetector
1
Department of Physics, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, 310018, Hangzhou, China
2
College of Materials Science and Engineering, Xiangtan University, 411105, Xiangtan, China
3
Guangxi Key Laboratory of Precision Navigation Technology and Application, Guilin University of Electronic Technology, 541004, Guilin, China
Received:
25
June
2024
Accepted:
26
October
2024
Published online:
5
November
2024
Due to its ultra-wide bandgap, large density and high atomic displacement threshold energy, β-Ga2O3 demonstrates excellent radiation hardness and holds significant potential for applications in the aerospace industry. In this study, we explored the impact of neutron irradiation damage on β-Ga2O3 photodetectors with two different structures: Schottky-type and metal–semiconductor–metal (MSM) Ohmic-type. Following neutron irradiation, the dark current, photocurrent, and photoresponsivity of the photodetectors significantly decreased, and the photoresponse speed slowed down. These effects can be attributed to displacement damage, primarily caused by gallium vacancies induced by neutron irradiation, which reduces carrier mobility and lowers carrier concentration through compensation mechanisms. Under an applied bias of 5 V and illuminated by 254 nm light with an intensity of 1000 μW/cm2, the photoresponsivity of the Schottky-type β-Ga2O3 photodetector decreased from 589.73 to 573.03 A/W, with a minimal attenuation rate of 2.83% after neutron irradiation. Both X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and photoluminescence (PL) analysis confirmed that neutron irradiation caused the breakage of covalent bonds in β-Ga2O3 and led to an increased presence of gallium vacancy defects as a result of displacement damage. Furthermore, Hall effect measurements indicated that neutron irradiation affected carrier mobility to a greater extent than carrier concentration in the β-Ga2O3 material system. This work not only provides important insights into the effect of neutron irradiation on the photoelectric performance and material physical properties of β-Ga2O3 based solar blind photodetectors but also highlights that Schottky-type photodetector exhibit the best resistance to neutron irradiation under positive bias.
Xi Guo and Mengmeng Chang contributed equally to this work.
Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1140/epjs/s11734-024-01387-w.
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