Surface States in the AlxGa1-xN Barrier in AlxGa1-xN／GaN Heterostructures

Frequency-dependent capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements have been performed on modulation-doped Al0.22 Ga0.78N/GaN heterostructures to investigate the characteristics of the surface states in the AlxGa1-xN barrier. Numerical fittings based on the experimental data indicate that there are surface states with high density locating on the AlxGa1-xN barrier. The density of the surface states is about 10^12cm^-2eV^-1, and the time constant is about 1μs. It is found that an insulating layer (Si3N4) between the metal contact and the surface of AlxGa1-xN can passlvate the surface states effectively.