Electrical Properties and Current-Illumination Characteristics of the SiC/GaN Lateral Heterostructure

Abstract

The construction of lateral heterostructures (LHSs) has the potential to adjust the electrical properties and current-illumination characteristics through interfacial interactions, providing new possibilities for the development of electron and photoelectric devices. In this research, the electronic and electrical properties as well as the current-illumination characteristics of the SiC/GaN LHSs have been investigated using first principles. The band structure analysis indicates that the band gap of the SiC/GaN LHSs can be regulated by the number of layers, and the type-II heterostructure and built-in electric field are formed. The SiC/GaN LHS have high electron carrier mobility along the Y-axis and higher current compared to the intrinsic g-GaN and g-SiC under the same forward bias voltage (V b ). Furthermore, the SiC/GaN LHS is a nanoscale p−n junction with a reverse current much smaller than the forward current. Photocurrent exhibits a strong response near-ultraviolet, and the maximum photocurrent is 79.03 a 0 2 /photon. The results show that SiC/GaN LHSs can be used as a potential material for electron and photoelectric devices.