Enhanced p-type conductivity of hexagonal boron nitride by an efficient two-step doping strategy

The present study proposes a two-step doping strategy for achieving efficient Mg doping of h-BN, involving an additional post-annealing treatment. This approach leads to ~108-fold enhancement in conductivity of h-BN, comparing with the as-doped h-BN grown by low-pressure chemical vapor deposition. The mechanism for large enhancement in h-BN doping efficiency after post-annealing was investigated, providing the evidence that this treatment not only facilitates the nanoparticle decomposition and incorporation of Mg atoms into h-BN, but also restores its lattice defects. The efficient two-step doping strategy for p-type h-BN in this study enlightens its promising prospects for the ultraviolet optoelectronic devices.