AlGaN/GaN High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMTs) are emerging as next-generation semiconductors optimized for high-power and high-frequency applications, with their performance highly dependent on the surface and interface quality of the AlGaN/GaN structure. In particular, the 2-Dimensional Electron Gas (2DEG) formed in the AlGaN layer is susceptible to trapping by surface defects, which degrades electrical characteristics and makes the device vulnerable to degradation. In this study, we propose an approach to enhance device reliability and performance by forming a gallium oxynitride (GaON) interfacial layer through O₂ plasma treatment on the AlGaN surface. This method effectively suppresses interface defects, resulting in improved electrical properties such as reduced interface trap density (Dit), threshold voltage (Vth) shift, increased drain current density (Id), and enhanced transconductance density (gm). Furthermore, this surface treatment demonstrates the potential for process simplification by improving the electrical characteristics of power semiconductor devices without the need for complex deposition steps.

Oxides possess several interesting properties, such as ferroelectricity, magnetism, superconductivity, and multiferroic behavior, which can effectively be used oxide electronics based on epitaxially grown heterostructures. The microscopic properties of oxide interfaces may have a strong impact on the electrical transport properties of these heterostructures. It was recently demonstrated that high electrical conductivity and mobility can be achieved in the system of an ultrathin LaAlO3 film deposited on a TiO2-terminated SrTiO3 substrate, which was a remarkable result because the conducting layer was at the interface between two insulators. In this study, we observe that the current-voltage characteristics exhibit LaAlO3 thickness dependence of electrical conductivity in TiO2-terminated SrTiO3. We find that the LaAlO3 layers with a thickness of up 3 unit cells, result in highly insulating interfaces, whereas those with thickness of 4 unit cells and above result in conducting interfaces.