Point defect creation by proton and carbon irradiation of α-Ga₂O₃

Films of α-Ga2O3 grown by Halide Vapor Phase Epitaxy (HVPE) were irradiated with protons at energies of 330, 400, and 460 keV with fluences 6 × 1015 cm−2 and with 7 MeV C4+ ions with a fluence of 1.3 × 1013 cm−2 and characterized by a suite of measurements, including Photoinduced Transient Current Spectroscopy (PICTS), Thermally Stimulated Current (TSC), Microcathodoluminescence (MCL), Capacitance–frequency (C–f), photocapacitance and Admittance Spectroscopy (AS), as well as by Positron Annihilation Spectroscopy (PAS). Proton irradiation creates a conducting layer near the peak of the ion distribution and vacancy defects distribution and introduces deep traps at Ec-0.25, 0.8, and 1.4 eV associated with Ga interstitials, gallium–oxygen divacancies VGa–VO, and oxygen vacancies VO. Similar defects were observed in C implanted samples. The PAS results can also be interpreted by assuming that the observed changes are due to the introduction of VGa and VGa–VO.