Study of the temperature dependent electron mobility in GaN/ScAlN heterostructures
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Abstract
This thesis investigates electron transport in III-nitride heterostructures, comparing AlGaN/GaN and ScAlN/GaN systems through quantum-mechanical modeling. We examine how polarization effects influence carrier confinement and mobility in these semiconductor interfaces. Our findings reveal that ScAlN/GaN exhibits significantly stronger polarization effects, creating deeper quantum wells and higher sheet carrier densities than AlGaN/GaN. Despite these enhancements, ScAlN/GaN demonstrates lower electron mobility across all temperatures. Analysis of scattering mechanisms shows that optical phonon scattering dominates at higher temperatures, while interface roughness becomes limiting at lower temperatures, with interface quality critically impacting mobility. These results gives an important design trade-off: while ScAlN/GaN offers higher carrier densities for enhanced current capacity, AlGaN/GaN provides superior carrier mobility for high-frequency applications. This work provides insights for optimizing III-nitride electronic devices for high-power and high-frequency applications.
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2025