Grafted Low‐Leakage Si/AlN p‐n Diodes Enabled by Fluorinated AlN Interface

ABSTRACT Ultrawide‐bandgap AlN is promising for next‐generation power devices but is limited by unstable surface chemistry and defective oxides induced by high‐temperature rapid thermal annealing (RTA). Here, we demonstrate a fluorination‐based interface engineering strategy using AlF x /SiN x passivation for p‐Si/n‐AlN heterojunction diodes fabricated via semiconductor grafting. A low‐damage pseudo‐atomic layer etching process removes RTA‐induced oxides, followed by XeF 2 treatment to form an ultrathin AlF x layer, which is stabilized by an ALD‐grown SiN x capping layer. The engineered interface significantly suppresses defect‐assisted leakage, reducing reverse current by several orders of magnitude while maintaining forward conduction. Temperature‐dependent measurements reveal suppression of Poole–Frenkel emission, with the remaining high‐field leakage likely associated with AlN epilayer quality. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirm reduced AlO x formation and the formation of a stable SiO x /SiON/AlF x interfacial layer. These results establish AlF x as an effective passivation scheme for low‐leakage AlN‐based heterojunction devices.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Advanced Materials Interfaces
Published
2026-07-17
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/admi.70602
Primary Topic
GaN-based semiconductor devices and materials
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Grafted Low‐Leakage Si/AlN p‐n Diodes Enabled by Fluorinated AlN Interface

Robert M. Jacobberger, Ce Wang, Qingxiao Wang, Haicheng Cao et al.
Advanced Materials Interfaces
GaN-based semiconductor devices and materials
article

Grafted Low‐Leakage Si/AlN p‐n Diodes Enabled by Fluorinated AlN Interface

Robert M. Jacobberger, Ce Wang, Qingxiao Wang, Haicheng Cao, Nicholas Tanen, T C Tsai, Jie Zhou, Vincent Gambin, Mingtao Nong, Tien Khee Ng, Zhiyuan Liu, Zhenqiang Ma, Xiaohang Li, Y. Lu, You Jin Koo, Stephanie Liu, Michael Eller, Katherine Fountaine, Connor Bailey, Yang Liu, Boon S. Ooi, Yuyue Hao
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Ultrawide‐bandgap AlN is promising for next‐generation power devices but is limited by unstable surface chemistry and defective oxides induced by high‐temperature rapid thermal annealing (RTA). Here, we demonstrate a fluorination‐based interface engineering strategy using AlF x /SiN x passivation for p‐Si/n‐AlN heterojunction diodes fabricated via semiconductor grafting. A low‐damage pseudo‐atomic layer etching process removes RTA‐induced oxides, followed by XeF 2 treatment to form an ultrathin AlF x layer, which is stabilized by an ALD‐grown SiN x capping layer. The engineered interface significantly suppresses defect‐assisted leakage, reducing reverse current by several orders of magnitude while maintaining forward conduction. Temperature‐dependent measurements reveal suppression of Poole–Frenkel emission, with the remaining high‐field leakage likely associated with AlN epilayer quality. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) confirm reduced AlO x formation and the formation of a stable SiO x /SiON/AlF x interfacial layer. These results establish AlF x as an effective passivation scheme for low‐leakage AlN‐based heterojunction devices.

Advanced Materials Interfaces
University of Wisconsin–Madison (US), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (US), Northrop Grumman (United States) (US), Northrop Grumman (United Kingdom) (GB), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (SA)
National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences
Openalex Percentile: Top 11%
GaN-based semiconductor devices and materials
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.