Planar AlN/GaN resonant tunneling diodes fabricated using nitrogen ion implantation

Abstract

We report planar AlN/GaN resonant tunneling diodes (RTDs) fabricated using a nitrogen ion implantation isolation process on silicon substrates. The active area of AlN/GaN RTDs is defined by nitrogen ion implantation. A planar RTD consists of two different-sized RTDs connected in series, where the larger one acts as a resistor and the performance of the planar RTD is determined by the smaller one. Repeatable and hysteresis-free negative differential resistances without degradation are observed through 500 continuous bidirectional voltage sweeps. The peak current density is 15.5 kA/cm2. The RTD exhibits stable negative differential resistance (NDR), with the peak-to-valley current ratio varying from 1.39 to 1.28 as the temperature increases from 77 to 295 K. This practicable and reproducible ion implantation process is compatible with silicon fabrication technology. It, thus, provides a feasible method for device design of GaN-based RTDs and facilitates the implementation of complex monolithic microwave integrated circuits based on planar III-nitride RTDs on large-size silicon wafers.