Tunneling current in w-GaN/AlN(0001) structures with deep-level defects

The influence of the interface deep-level defects on the tunneling current of a double-barrier w-AlN/GaN (0001) structure is studied. It is shown that the peculiarities of the current essentially depend on the positions of deep-levels, concentrations and spatial distribution of defects. At high concentrations of defects comparable to those of polarization charge, partial compensation of polarization charges near the contacts of the structure occurs and a resonance level in the triangular well can arise. Defective structures can possess a huge peak-to-valley ratio higher than 100 due to the small value of the valley current. The results of the simulations are consistent with some experimental dependences of the tunneling current in double-barrier structures.