First demonstration of vertical AlGaN P-i-N diodes grown on silicon substrate for Next-Generation power electronics

In this work, we report the first demonstration of quasi-vertical AlGaN PiN diodes grown directly on siliconsubstrates, paving the way toward high-performance, low-cost power electronics. GaN and AlGaNheterostructures were grown on 2-inch silicon wafers via molecular beam epitaxy. The AlGaN diodecomprises a 20 nm UID Al₀.₁₉Ga₀.₈₁N layer, 160 nm n⁺ Al₀.₁₉Ga₀.₈₁N, 570 nm Al₀.₁₉Ga₀.₈₁N drift layer, and a100 nm p-type contact layer. It demonstrates high current density up to 16 kA/cm², a threshold voltageof 7.5 V, and Ron,sp of 0.61 mΩ·cm², comparable to that of GaN (0.54 mΩ·cm²). Most notably, the AlGaNdiode achieves a breakdown field of 4 MV/cm, far exceeding GaN’s 1 MV/cm under an identical quasivertical architecture.