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In this paper, we report an analysis of reverse current mechanisms observed in GaN Schottky barrier diodes leading to hysteretic behavior of the I–V curves at low temperature. By means of DC measurements from 33 to 475 K, we demonstrate the presence of two leakage mechanisms when comparing the experiments with the results obtained using a unified model to predict the ideal reverse current of the diode. Poole–Frenkel emission is the dominant mechanism for temperatures above 200 K, while trap-assisted tunneling prevails for lower temperatures, where also, hysteresis cycles are revealed by means of DC dual-sweep voltage measurements. The energy of the corresponding traps has also been determined, being around 0.2 and 0.45 eV, respectively. The hysteresis phenomenon is attributed to the bias-induced occupancy of the energy states originating the leakage-current processes, which leads to the reduction of the reverse current after a high negative voltage is applied to the diode. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A model to predict the ideal reverse leakage currents in Schottky barrier diodes, namely, thermionic emission and tunneling components, has been developed and tested by means of current–voltage–temperature measurements in GaN-on-SiC devices. The model addresses both current components and both forward and reverse polarities in a unified way and with the same set of parameters. The values of the main parameters (barrier height, series resistance, and ideality factor) are extracted from the fitting of the forward-bias I–V curves and then used to predict the reverse-bias behavior without any further adjustment. An excellent agreement with the I–V curves measured in the forward bias in the GaN diode under analysis has been achieved in a wide range of temperatures (275–475 K). In reverse bias, at temperatures higher than 425 K, a quasi-ideal behavior is found, but additional mechanisms (most likely trap-assisted tunneling) lead to an excess of leakage current at lower temperatures. We demonstrate the importance of the inclusion of image-charge effects in the model in order to correctly predict the values of the reverse leakage current. Relevant physical information, like the energy range at which most of the tunnel injection takes place or the distance from the interface at which tunneled electrons emerge, is also provided by the model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]