Measurements and modelling of thermal step current in GaN/SiO2/Si structure

In this work, we report results of measurement of space charge in GaN/SiO2/Si structure by means of thermal step method (TSM) and capacitance–voltage (C–V). TSM is a non destructive method for quantifying and localizing the electric charges in insulating materials. Its principle consists to apply a low thermal step to a short-circuited or dc-biased sample and to record a current response, which depends on the charge present in the device. The C–V characteristics show an almost metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) behaviour and retention of charges after forward bias sweeping. The space charge dynamics in the structure are followed under low applied dc voltages. Results show a significant inversion of the TSM currents above applied voltage of 200 mV. A theoretical model is then presented in order to estimate the amount of the trapped charges and to interpret the variation of the TS currents as a function of the applied gate voltages.