Theoretical design of GaN/ferroelectric heterostructure: Toward a strained semiconductor on ferroelectrics

Ferroelectric/semiconductor heterostructures are of great interest for future electronic devices. This letter examined the material parameters and carrier distributions of an AlGaN(0001)/GaN(0001)/BaTiO(111) double heterostructure by combining first principles and charge control model. Results show that in the optimized case, there will appear two channels in GaN layer, and the sheet electron density will be doubled compared to conventional AlGaN/GaN heterojunction. A possible device structure was proposed to make the channel become switchable and reduce the source/drain resistance. This strained semiconductor on ferroelectric structure may be promising for high speed power devices. © 2009 American Institute of Physics.