Radiation hardness of $n$-GaN Schottky diodes

Schottky-barrier diodes with a diameter of $\sim$ 10 $\mu$m are fabricated on $n$-GaN epitaxial films grown by hydride vapor-phase epitaxy (HVPE) on sapphire substrates. The changes in the parameters of the diodes under irradiation with 15 MeV protons are studied. The carrier removal rate was found to be 130–145 cm$^{-1}$. The linear nature of the dependence $N = f(D)$ ($N$ is the carrier concentration, and $D$, the irradiation dose) shows that compensation of the material is associated with transitions of electrons from shallow donors to deep acceptor levels which are related to primary radiation defects.