Extracting the Critical Breakdown Electrical Field of Amorphous Indium-Gallium-Zinc-Oxide From the Avalanche Breakdown of n-Indium-Gallium-Zinc-Oxide/p+-Nickel-Oxide Heterojunction Diode

A heterojunction diode between n-type amorphous indium-gallium-zinc-oxide (a-IGZO) and p-type nickel oxide is experimentally demonstrated with self-aligned junction termination. The diode has an abrupt, non-destructive breakdown behavior, and the avalanche breakdown is confirmed by the positive temperature coefficient of the breakdown voltage. The room-temperature breakdown voltage of the device is 33 V, and the extracted critical breakdown electrical field (
${E}_{CR}$
) is 2.7 MV/cm. The
${E}_{CR}$
is one order of magnitude higher than that of single-crystal silicon, making a-IGZO promising for power electronics and other high-voltage applications.