RuO2/GaN Schottky contact formation with superior forward and reverse characteristics

This is a first time report of a ruthenium oxide (RuO/sub 2/) Schottky contact on GaN. RuO/sub 2/ and Pt Schottky diodes were fabricated and their characteristics compared. When the RuO/sub 2/ Schottky contact was annealed at 500/spl deg/C for 30 min, the current-voltage (I-V) and capacitance-voltage (C-V) characteristics of the RuO/sub 2/ were dramatically improved. The annealed RuO/sub 2//GaN Schottky contact exhibited a reverse leakage current that was at least two or three orders lower in magnitude than that of the Pt/GaN contact along with a very large barrier height of 1.46 eV, which is the highest value ever reported for a GaN Schottky system.