Quantitative investigation of the lateral diffusion of hydrogen in p-type GaN layers having NPN structures

This work quantitatively examined lateral diffusion of hydrogen in the (0001) in-plane direction in a Mg-doped p-type GaN layer sandwiched between n-type layers, based on the preparation and annealing of circular mesa structures having different radius values. Capacitance-voltage analyses and secondary ion mass spectrometry confirmed a decrease in the effective acceptor concentration along with an increase in the residual hydrogen concentration with increasing radius values, indicating hydrogen desorption through the sidewall and lateral diffusion. Considering the surface barrier to desorption, we estimated a lateral diffusion coefficient of 7 × 10−8 cm2 s−1 at 1123 K, reasonably reproducing the effect of the mesa radius.