Electron injection-induced effects in Si-doped β-Ga ₂ O ₃

The impact of electron injection, using 10 keV beam of a Scanning Electron Microscope, on minority carrier transport in Si-doped β-Ga ₂ O ₃ was studied for temperatures ranging from room to 120°C. In-situ Electron Beam-Induced Current technique was employed to determine the diffusion length of minority holes as a function of temperature and duration of electron injection. The experiments revealed a pronounced elongation of hole diffusion length with increasing duration of injection. The activation energy, associated with the electron injection-induced elongation of the diffusion length, was determined at ∼ 74 meV and matches the previous independent studies. It was additionally discovered that an increase of the diffusion length in the regions affected by electron injection is accompanied by a simultaneous decrease of cathodoluminescence intensity. Both effects were attributed to increasing non-equilibrium hole lifetime in the valence band of β-Ga ₂ O ₃ semiconductor.