The electrical conductivity of cubic (In$_{1-x}$Ga$_x$)$_2$O$_3$ films ($x\le0.18$): Native point defects, Sn-doping, and the surface electron accumulation layer

Abstract

The alloying of the group-III transparent semiconducting sesquioxides In$_2$O$_3$ and Ga$_2$O$_3$ can lead to a modulation of the properties of the parent compounds, e.g., the shallow- and deep-donor character of the oxygen vacancy or the presence and absence of a surface electron accumulation layer, respectively. In this work, we investigate the effect of alloying on the electron transport properties of unintentionally-doped single-crystalline and textured bixbyite (In$_{1-x}$Ga$_x$)$_2$O$_3$ thin films annealed in oxygen and vacuum with Ga contents up to $x$=0.18. Hall effect measurements demonstrate a surprising increase in electron density due to native defects with added Ga. This increase may be related to the incorporation of Ga-interstitials or oxygen vacancies induced by Ga-related unit-cell distortions. A combined investigation based on hard and soft x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements demonstrates the existence of the surface electron accumulation layer for all alloy films and, hence, no depletion up to $x$=0.18. Finally, we additionally demonstrate a single-crystalline (In$_{0.92}$Ga$_{0.08}$)$_2$O$_3$:Sn film, as a possible transparent conductive oxide with a wider band gap than that of (Sn-doped) In$_2$O$_3$.