Single-crystalline GaAs/Si Heterojunction Tunnel Diodes Interfaced by an Ultrathin Oxygen-enriched Layer

Abstract: We report the fabrication and characteristics of GaAs/Si p+/n+ heterojunction tunnel diodes. These diodes were fabricated via grafting the freestanding single-crystalline p-type degenerately doped GaAs (4E19 cm-3) nanomembrane (NM) onto single-crystalline n-type Si (5E19 cm-3) substrate. At the heterointerface, an amorphous ultrathin oxygen-enriched layer (UOL) was intentionally engineered through chemical oxidation and atomic layer deposition (ALD). Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) confirmed the formation of the UOL and the single crystallinity of the grafted junction. The resulting tunnel diodes consistently exhibited negative differential resistance (NDR) behavior at room temperature, with a high maximum peak-to-valley current ratio (PVCR) of 36.38, valley voltages ranging from 1.3 to 1.8 V, and a peak tunneling current density of 0.95 kA/cm2. This study not only highlights the critical roles of the UOL as both an interface improvement layer and a quantum tunneling medium, but also establishes "semiconductor grafting" as an effective and versatile method for high-performance, lattice-mismatched heterojunction devices.