Photo-capacitance measurement in dual-frequency mode and its application to study of Pt/κ-Ga2O3 planar Schottky diode

In this study, a dual-frequency method for the impedance/admittance measurements on illuminated junctions has been critically analyzed as an appropriate methodological approach for the measure of the depletion capacitance, both under steady-state light and during on-off illumination cycles. A planar Pt/kappa-Ga2O3 Schottky diode was used as a test structure. Then capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements were carried out under various applied AC frequencies and monochromatic UV-C light (lambda = 254 nm) and compared to dark values. Transient photo-capacitance (TPC) measurements were performed at fixed applied voltages and the same AC frequencies and illumination conditions as the C-V measurements. Thanks to capacitance-frequency (C-f) measurements, the device under test was preliminary demonstrated to be well represented, both in dark and under light, by the equivalent circuit required for the applicability of the dual-frequency approach. It must include a depletion capacitance, parallel leakage resistance, and a series resistance. Dual-frequency capacitance resulted comparable to the single frequency C-V and TPC data obtained in the high-frequency limit for series configuration measurements and those obtained at low frequency in measurements carried out in parallel configuration. The experimental conditions of reliable data acquisition were discussed leading to the interpretation of the results in terms of the presence of slow-response traps.