Imaging the p-n junction in a gallium nitride nanowire with a scanning microwave microscope

We used a broadband, atomic-force-microscope-based, scanning microwave microscope (SMM) to probe the axial dependence of the charge depletion in a p-n junction within a gallium nitride nanowire (NW). SMM enables the visualization of the p-n junction location without the need to make patterned electrical contacts to the NW. Spatially resolved measurements of S11′, which is the derivative of the RF reflection coefficient S11 with respect to voltage, varied strongly when probing axially along the NW and across the p-n junction. The axial variation in S11′  effectively mapped the asymmetric depletion arising from the doping concentrations on either side of the junction. Furthermore, variation of the probe tip voltage altered the apparent extent of features associated with the p-n junction in S11′ images.