High sensitivity, high solar rejection ratio, and fast response are essential characteristics for most practical applications of solar-blind ultraviolet (UV) detectors. These features, however, usually require a complex device structure, complicated process, and high operating voltage. Herein, a simply structured n-AlGaN/AlN phototransistor with a self-depleted full channel is reported. The self-depletion of the highly conductive n-AlGaN channel is achieved by exploiting the strong polarization-induced electric field therein to act as a virtual photogate. The resulting two-terminal detectors with interdigital Ohmic electrodes exhibit an ultrahigh gain of
1.3
×
10
5
, an ultrafast response speed with rise/decay times of 537.5 ps/3.1 μs, and an ultrahigh Johnson and shot noise (flicker noise) limited specific detectivity of
1.5
×
10
18
(
4.7
×
10
16
) Jones at 20-V bias. Also, a very low dark current of the order of
∼
pA
and a photo-to-dark current ratio of above
10
8
are obtained, due to the complete depletion of the
n
-
Al
0.5
Ga
0.5
N
channel layer and the high optical gain. The proposed planar phototransistor combines fabrication simplicity and performance advantages, and thus is promising in a variety of UV detection applications.
The growth of InGaN by Ga-migration-enhanced epitaxy using metalorganic chemical vapor deposition is reported. Trench defects, which are usually associated with the generation of basal-plane stacking faults (BSFs), can be significantly diminished by this method. The surface morphology and luminescence characteristics of the deposited InGaN are consequently improved. It is demonstrated that the Ga-migration-enhanced epitaxy can inhibit the generation of BSFs and thus prevent the formation of trench defects in InGaN epilayers.
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