Electrical characteristics of vertical-geometry Schottky junction to magnetic insulator (Ga,Mn)N heteroepitaxially grown on sapphire

Abstract Schottky barrier height and the ideality factor η are established for the first time in the single phase (Ga,Mn)N using a vertical geometry device. The material has been heteroepitaxially grown on commercially available low threading dislocation density GaN:Si template. The observed above 10 MΩ resistances already at room temperature are indicative that a nearly conductive-dislocation-free electrical properties are achieved. The analysis of temperature dependence of the forward bias I–V characteristics in the frame of the thermionic emission model yields Ti-(Ga,Mn)N Schottky barrier height to be slightly lower but close in character to other metal/GaN junctions. However, the large magnitudes of the ideality factor η > 1.5 for T ≤ 300 K, point to a sizable current blocking in the structure. While it remains to be seen whether it is due to the presence of (Ga,Mn)N barrier or due to other factors which reduce the effective area of the junction, an existence of a substantial serial resistance may hold the key to explain similar observations in other devices of a corresponding structure and technological relevance.