Polarization-engineered electron transport in <i>β</i> -Ga2O3/SiC heterojunctions: Atomic-scale modulation via SiC polymorphic selection

β-Ga2O3/SiC heterojunction has high potential to be used in high power electronics and optoelectronic devices, yet their performance is critically governed by their interfacial band properties. Here, we systematically investigate the band alignment and electron transport of β-Ga2O3/SiC heterojunctions with different SiC polytypes (2H-, 4H-, 6H-, and 3C-SiC). Precise calculations of band alignment are performed, accompanied by detailed analyses of charge transport and band bending mechanisms. Owing to the identical valence band maximum positions across SiC polytypes, all heterojunctions exhibit similar valence band offsets within 1.99–2.03 eV at the interface, while the differences in their bandgaps result in distinct conduction band offsets. Spontaneous polarization and mismatch-induced piezoelectric polarization collectively drive band bending within the SiC region. For hexagonal SiC polytypes, downward band bending occurs from the interface into the bulk, with the bending magnitude decreasing as hexagonal symmetry reduces. In contrast, 3C-SiC shows inversely upward bending owing to the dominance of piezoelectric polarization. Finally, we propose applicable material selection and doping strategies for specific device applications. This work provides theoretical guidance for the collaborative design of β-Ga2O3/SiC heterojunction-based devices.

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Publication Details

Journal
Applied Physics Letters
Published
2025-11-24
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0279106
Citations
1
Primary Topic
Ga2O3 and related materials
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.43
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article

Polarization-engineered electron transport in β -Ga2O3/SiC heterojunctions: Atomic-scale modulation via SiC polymorphic selection

Kelvin H. L. Zhang, Yuzheng Guo, Jinhao Su, Qingzhong Gui et al.
1 citations
Applied Physics Letters
Ga2O3 and related materials
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article

Polarization-engineered electron transport in β -Ga2O3/SiC heterojunctions: Atomic-scale modulation via SiC polymorphic selection

Kelvin H. L. Zhang, Yuzheng Guo, Jinhao Su, Qingzhong Gui, Wei Yu, John Robertson, Zhaofu Zhang, Sheng Liu, Feng Zhang, Jiaren Feng, Xiaoyu Fei
article en
1 citations

Abstract

β-Ga2O3/SiC heterojunction has high potential to be used in high power electronics and optoelectronic devices, yet their performance is critically governed by their interfacial band properties. Here, we systematically investigate the band alignment and electron transport of β-Ga2O3/SiC heterojunctions with different SiC polytypes (2H-, 4H-, 6H-, and 3C-SiC). Precise calculations of band alignment are performed, accompanied by detailed analyses of charge transport and band bending mechanisms. Owing to the identical valence band maximum positions across SiC polytypes, all heterojunctions exhibit similar valence band offsets within 1.99–2.03 eV at the interface, while the differences in their bandgaps result in distinct conduction band offsets. Spontaneous polarization and mismatch-induced piezoelectric polarization collectively drive band bending within the SiC region. For hexagonal SiC polytypes, downward band bending occurs from the interface into the bulk, with the bending magnitude decreasing as hexagonal symmetry reduces. In contrast, 3C-SiC shows inversely upward bending owing to the dominance of piezoelectric polarization. Finally, we propose applicable material selection and doping strategies for specific device applications. This work provides theoretical guidance for the collaborative design of β-Ga2O3/SiC heterojunction-based devices.

Applied Physics LettersVol. 127(21)
Hunan University (CN), Shenzhen University (CN), Xiamen University (CN), Wuhan University of Technology (CN), Changsha University (CN), University of Cambridge (GB), Wuhan University (CN), Bridge University (SS), Suzhou Research Institute (CN), Xiamen University of Technology (CN)
Openalex Percentile: Top 33%
Ga2O3 and related materials
0.43
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