Electronic Conduction in Epitaxial Aluminum Nitride Films on Silicon

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Abstract
Measurements of current-voltage and current-temperature characteristics have been performed on metal-aluminum nitride (AlN)-silicon (n+–Si) substrate structures with Au and Al as metal electrodes. Single-crystal AlN films were epitaxially grown on (111)-oriented Si substrates by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MO–CVD). At room temperature it was found that the current-voltage characteristics show Ohmic behavior at low fields and the resistivity is of the order of 1016 \varOmegacm. On the other hand, it was found at high fields that the current is controlled by the Poole-Frenkel conduction of holes or electrons. Values of the hole trap energy depth from valence band edge and the electron trap energy depth from conduction band edge were found to be about 0.5 and 0.9 eV, respectively.