Formation and Applications in Electronic Devices of Lattice‐Aligned Gallium Oxynitride Nanolayer on Gallium Nitride

Abstract

AbstractGallium nitride (GaN), a promising alternative semiconductor to Si, is widely used in photoelectronic and electronic technologies. However, the vulnerability of the GaN surface is a critical restriction that hinders the development of GaN‐based devices, especially in terms of device stability and reliability. In this study, this challenge is overcome by converting the GaN surface into a gallium oxynitride (GaON) epitaxial nanolayer through an in situ two‐step “oxidation–reconfiguration” process. The O plasma treatment overcomes the chemical inertness of the GaN surface, and sequential thermal annealing manipulates the kinetic–thermodynamic reaction pathways to create a metastable GaON nanolayer with a wurtzite lattice. The GaN‐derived GaON nanolayer is a tailored structure for surface reinforcement and possesses several advantages, including a wide bandgap, high thermodynamic stability, and large valence band offset with a GaN substrate. These physical properties can be further leveraged to enhance the performance of GaN‐based devices in various applications, such as power systems, complementary logic integrated circuits, photoelectrochemical water splitting, and ultraviolet photoelectric conversion.