Dopant-free GaN/AlN/AlGaN radial nanowire heterostructures as high electron mobility transistors

We report the rational synthesis of dopant-free GaN/AlN/AlGaN radial nanowire heterostructures and their implementation as high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs). The radial nanowire heterostructures were prepared by sequential shell growth immediately following nanowire elongation using metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) studies reveal that the GaN/AlN/AlGaN radial nanowire heterostructures are dislocation-free single crystals. In addition, the thicknesses and compositions of the individual AlN and AlGaN shells were unambiguously identified using cross-sectional high-angle annular darkfield scanning transmission electron microscopy (HAADF-STEM). Transport measurements carried out on GaN/AlN/AlGaN and GaN nanowires prepared using similar conditions demonstrate the existence of electron gas in the undoped GaN/AlN/AlGaN nanowire heterostructures and also yield an intrinsic electron mobility of 3100 cm(2)/Vs and 21,000 cm(2)/Vs at room temperature and 5 K, respectively, for the heterostructure. Field-effect transistors fabricated with ZrO(2) dielectrics and metal top gates showed excellent gate coupling with near ideal subthreshold slopes of 68 mV/dec, an on/off current ratio of 10(7), and scaled on-current and transconductance values of 500 mA/mm and 420 mS/mm. The ability to control synthetically the electronic properties of nanowires using band structure design in III-nitride radial nanowire heterostructures opens up new opportunities for nanoelectronics and provides a new platform to study the physics of low-dimensional electron gases.     

GaN Electronics

An overview is presented of progress in GaN electronic devices for high‐power, high‐temperature applications. The wide bandgaps of the nitride materials, their excellent transport properties, and the availability of heterostructures (e.g., GaN/AlGaN) make them ideal candidates for these applications. In the past few years a wide range of devices have been reported, including heterostructure field effect transistors (HFETs), heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs), bipolar junction transistors (BJTs), Schottky and p–i–n rectifiers, and metal–oxide–semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs). Some of the unexpected features of GaN‐based electronics include the ability to use piezoelectrically induced carriers for current transport in heterostructures and the sensitivity of the GaN surface to preferential loss of nitrogen during device processing.     

Cathodoluminescence study of crystalline quality of (Al, In, Ga)N heterostructures

Wurtzite InGaN/GaN and AlGaN/GaN heterostructures grown by metal organic vapor phase epitaxy were studied using cathodoluminescence (CL) combined with secondary electron microscopy (SEM) and scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). The surface morphology of samples containing InGaN layers is dominated by three types of defects: mesa-like hexagonal structures, hexagonal pyramids and micropipes. At the positions of pyramids the whole epilayer is thicker than at defect free positions, while at the positions of micropipes the whole epilayer is much thinner. The luminescence efficiency as well as the emission wavelength are influenced by these defects. In SL structures an increasing SL period thickness in the growth direction was observed. Panchromatic CL images show intensity inhomogeneity in both InGaN/GaN and AlGaN/GaN heterostructure, which are related to local variations of the interface quality. In AlGaN/GaN SQW structures a broad deep-level luminescence band at around 543 nm was observed, which is generally absent in InGaN/GaN heterostructures. This deep-level emission is strongly enhanced in defect positions.     

Bottom-up photonic crystal lasers

The directed growth of III-V nanopillars is used to demonstrate bottom-up photonic crystal lasers. Simultaneous formation of both the photonic band gap and active gain region is achieved via catalyst-free selective-area metal-organic chemical vapor deposition on masked GaAs substrates. The nanopillars implement a GaAs/InGaAs/GaAs axial double heterostructure for accurate, arbitrary placement of gain within the cavity and lateral InGaP shells to reduce surface recombination. The lasers operate single-mode at room temperature with low threshold peak power density of ～625 W/cm2. Cavity resonance and lasing wavelength is lithographically defined by controlling pillar pitch and diameter to vary from 960 to 989 nm. We envision this bottom-up approach to pillar-based devices as a new platform for photonic systems integration.     

Evaluation of AlGaN/GaN heterostructures properties by QMSA and AFM techniques

Atomic force microscopy and Quantitative Mobility Spectrum Analysis (QMSA) were applied for characterization and evaluation of the quality of AlGaN/GaN heterostructures. The structural uniformity, growth mode and electrical properties of the heterostructures were determined. The obtained results indicated that the time of growth of the low temperature GaN nucleation layer influenced the morphology and electrical properties of the AlGaN/GaN heterostructure.     

AlN钝化层对AlGaN/GaN异质结及其高温特性的影响

主要研究了A1N钝化介质层对AlGaN/GaN异质结势垒层应力的修改以及应力的变化对二维电子气高温输运性质的影响.研究结果表明:AlN介质层会对AlGaN势垒层产生附加的平面压应变;AlN和传统的si3N4钝化介质都能减轻AlGaN势垒层在高温下的应变弛豫,但AlN介质层效果更明显.和传统的Si,N4钝化介质相比较,AlN钝化层不仅会显著增加AlGaN/GaN异质结二维电子气密度度,还会明显提高二维电子气迁移率,同时,AlN钝化后二维电子气密度的温度稳定性也更好.因此,对AlGaN/GaN异质结器件来说,AIN是一种有潜力的钝化介质.     

Impact of SF6 plasma treatment on performance of AlGaN/GaN HEMT

Selective plasma treatment of an AlGaN/GaN heterostructure in the RF discharge of the electronegative SF₆ gas was studied. Shallow recess-gate etching of AlGaN (∼5 nm) was performed in CCl₄ plasma through a photoresist mask. Subsequently, recess-gate etching followed in situ by SF₆ plasma. The plasma treatment provides the following advantages in the technology of AlGaN/GaN high-electron mobility transistors (HEMT): It (1) simplifies their technology; (2) ensures sufficient selectivity; and (3) enables the technologist to set the threshold voltage of the HEMTs controllably. At the same time, the treatment can (1) provide the AlGaN/GaN heterostructure with surface passivation; (2) modify the 2DEG in any area of a HEMT channel; and (3) make it possible to convert a HEMT operation from depletion mode to enhancement mode. The treatment also improved significantly the DC and RF parameters of HEMTs studied.     

Determination of two-dimensional electron and hole gas carriers in AlGaN/GaN/AlN heterostructures grown by Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition

Resistivity and Hall effect measurements on nominally undoped Al_0.25Ga_0.75N/GaN/AlN heterostructures grown on sapphire substrates prepared by metal organic chemical vapor deposition have been carried out as a function of temperature (20-300 K) and magnetic field (0-1.4 T). Variable magnetic field Hall data have been analyzed using the improved quantitative mobility spectrum analysis technique. The mobility and density of the two-dimensional electron gas at the AlGaN/GaN interface and the two-dimensional hole gas at the GaN/AlN interface are separated by quantitative mobility spectrum analysis. The analysis shows that two-channel conduction is present in nominally undoped Al_0.25Ga_0.75N/GaN/AlN heterostructures grown on sapphire substrate.     

Multilayer AlN/AlGaN/GaN/AlGaN heterostructures for high-power field-effect transistors grown by ammonia MBE

The results of the optimization of the ammonia MBE technology of AlN/AlGaN/GaN/AlGaN heterostructures for high-power microwave field-effect transistors (FETs) are presented. The creation of technological systems of the EPN type for the deposition of group III nitrides by ammonia MBE, in combination with the development of optimum growth and postgrowth processes, make it possible to obtain AlN/AlGaN/GaN/AlGaN based heterostructures for high-power microwave FETs with the output static characteristics on the world best level. One of the main fields of application of the semiconductor heterostructures based on group III nitrides is the technology of high electron mobility transistors (HEMTs). Most investigations in this field have been devoted to the classical GaN/AlGaN structures with a single heterojunction. An alternative approach based on the use of double heterostructures with improved two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) confinement offers a number of advantages, but such structures are usually characterized by a lower carrier mobility as compared to that in the single-junction structures. We succeeded in optimizing the double heterostructure parameters and growth conditions so as to obtain conducting channels with a 2DEG carrier mobility of 1450, 1350, and 1000 cm²/(V s) and a sheet electron density of 1.3 × 10¹³, 1.6 × 10¹³, and 2.0 × 10¹³ cm^?2, respectively. Experimental HEMTs with 1-μm-long gates based on the obtained multilayer heterostructure with a doped upper barrier layer exhibit stable current-voltage characteristics with maximum saturation current densities of about 1 A/mm and a transconductance of up to 180 mS/mm.     

Growth of InGaN quantum dots with AlGaN barrier layers via modified droplet epitaxy

The growth of c-plane InGaN quantum dots via modified droplet epitaxy with AlGaN barrier layers is reported. The growth of the AlGaN layer underlying the InGaN quantum dot layer was carried out under H₂ at 1050 °C, while the capping AlGaN layer was grown at the same temperature (710 °C) and using the same carrier gas (N₂) as that used to grow the InGaN quantum dot layer to prevent decomposition of the InGaN. Atomic force microscopy of InGaN epilayers grown and annealed on high temperature AlGaN using identical growth conditions used for the quantum dot samples highlighted a narrower distribution of nanostructure heights than that obtained for similar growth on GaN. Scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) imaging combined with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis revealed the presence of a thin high aluminium content layer at the surface of both AlGaN layers, which is believed to be related to loss of Ga during temperature ramping processes. Micro-photoluminescence studies carried out at low temperature revealed near resolution-limited peaks while time-resolved measurements on these peaks demonstrated mono-exponential decay times between 1 and 4 ns, showing that quantum dots had successfully been formed between the AlGaN barriers. Temperature-dependant measurement of the emission lines revealed that quenching of the peak often occurred at ∼60–70 K, with some of the peaks exhibiting significant line broadening whilst others remained narrow.     

MgO缓冲层对PZT/AlGaN/GaN异质结构电学性能的影响

采用脉冲激光沉积(PLD)技术,以MgO作为缓冲层,在AlGaN/GaN半导体异质结构上沉积了Pb(Zr0.52T0.48) O3 (PZT)铁电薄膜,从而形成金属-铁电-介质-半导体结构(MFIS).XRD扫描结果表明,通过MgO缓冲层对界面结构的优化,实现了PZT薄膜沿(111)面择优取向生长.电流-电压(I-V ...     

Processing of nanocrystalline diamond thin films for thermal management of wide-bandgap semiconductor power electronics

High current densities in wide-bandgap semiconductor electronics operating at high power levels results in significant self-heating of devices, which necessitates the development thermal management technologies to effectively dissipate the generated heat. This paper lays the foundation for the development of such technology by ascertaining process conditions for depositing nanocrystalline diamond (NCD) on AlGaN/GaN High Electron Mobility Transistors (HEMTs) with no visible damage to device metallization. NCD deposition is carried out on Si and GaN HEMTs with Au/Ni metallization. Raman spectroscopy, optical and scanning electron microscopy are used to evaluate the quality of the deposited NCD films. Si device metallization is used as a test bed for developing process conditions for NCD deposition on AlGaN/GaN HEMTs. Results indicate that no visible damage occurs to the device metallization for deposition conditions below 290 °C for Si devices and below 320 °C for the AlGaN/GaN HEMTs. Possible mechanisms for metallization damage above the deposition temperature are enumerated. Electrical testing of the AlGaN/GaN HEMTs indicates that it is indeed possible to deposit NCD on GaN-based devices with no significant degradation in device performance.     

GaN纳米线材料的特性和制备技术

GaN是一种具有优越热稳定性和化学性质的宽禁带半导体材料，这种材料及相关器件可以工作在高温、高辐射等恶劣环境中，并可用于大功率微波器件．最近几年，由于GaN蓝光二极管的成功研制，使GaN成为了化合物半导体领域中最热门的研究课题．简要介绍了GaN纳米线材料的制备技术；综述了GaN纳米线材料的制备结果和特性．用CVD法研制的GaN纳米线的直径已经达到5～12nm，长度达到几百个微米．纳米线具有GaN的六方纤锌矿结构，其PL谱具有宽的发射峰，谱峰中心在420nm．GaN纳米线已经在肖特基二极管的研制中得到应用．     

Influence of external cavity length on multimode hopping in microchip Nd:YAG lasers

The influence of external cavity length on multimode hopping in microchip Nd:YAG lasers is investigated experimentally. With an optical feedback loop, the threshold gain of different longitudinal modes are all modulated by changing the external cavity length; a lambda/2 change in the external cavity length causes a one-period oscillation. The longitudinal modes can be divided into groups according to different initial threshold gain variations and modulation trends corresponding to different external cavity phases. Because of the initial gain difference, only one mode in each group is the dominant potential lasing mode, while others are suppressed. During the 2 pi change of the external cavity phase, mode hopping occurs among these potential lasing modes from different groups. Both the intensity waveforms and the number of hopping modes strongly depend on the external cavity length. Experimental results agree well with the theoretical analysis of the phenomenon of multimode hopping subjected to optical feedback in microchip Nd:YAG lasers.     

Temperature and wavelength dependence of gain and threshold current detuning with cavity resonance in vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers

Heating-induced threshold current detuning with different cavity resonances of AlInGaAs-AlGaAs vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VCSELs) was studied based on gain spectrum analysis and threshold current construction as functions of cavity resonance wavelength and temperature. The quantitative correlations between gain peak, cavity resonance and the minimal threshold current were established. The results showed that the minimal threshold current was in agreement with the gain peak in wavelength only at the temperatures of 300-320 K. Higher temperatures led to a detuning difference between the gain peak and the minimal threshold current relative to the cavity resonance due to band-like nature of the states. In addition, this theoretical analysis about thermal tuning of the cavity resonance pointed out that the wavelength of cavity resonance shifted in an exponential function of temperature. The linear approximation was consistent with the experimental results in the temperature range 300-400 K. A new approach for the gain offsetting is provided so that the minimum in threshold currents can be aligned with the cavity resonance, instead of doing it with the gain peak to achieve the lowest threshold current of the VCSEL at a given temperature.     

Electronic and Magnetic Investigations of Rare-Earth Tm-doped AlGaN Ternary Alloy

Electronic structure and magnetic interaction of substitutional thulium rare earth-doped wurtzite Al_0.5Ga_0.5N ternary alloy have been performed using density-functional theory within local spin-density approximation with Hubbard-U corrections (LSDA+U) approach. The LSDA+U method is applied to the rare earth (RE) 4f states. The calculation of formation energy shows that it is more energetically favorable for a substitutional Tm atom to replace the Al atom than the Ga atom. For AlGaN:Tm, the lattices parameters are expanded due to larger ionic radius of Tm than that of Al atoms. The energy band gap of AlGaN:Tm has direct character and its width becomes small compared with that of AlGaN. The magnetic coupling between Tm ions in the nearest neighbor sites is ferromagnetic. Magnetic interaction of rare earth ion with the host states at the valence and conduction band edges has been investigated and compared to those of GaN:Mn and has been found to be relatively small.     

Effect of high temperature AlGaN buffer thickness on GaN Epilayer grown on Si(111) substrates

Crack-free GaN epitaxial layer was obtained through inserting 80 nm graded AlGaN buffer layer between GaN epilayer and high temperature AlN buffer on 2-in Si(111) substrates by metal organic chemical vapor deposition. This paper investigated the influence of AlGaN buffer thickness on the structural properties of the GaN epilayer. It was confirmed from the optical microscopy and scanning electronic microscopy that the graded AlGaN buffer with optimized thickness had a remarkable effect on introducing relative compressive strain to the top GaN layer and preventing the formation of cracks. X-ray diffraction and atomic force microscopy analysis showed that AlGaN buffer with proper thickness could improve the crystal quality and surface morphology of the GaN film. Transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed that a significant reduction in threading dislocations was achieved in GaN epilayer by the insertion of graded AlGaN buffer.     

Ion beam studies of multi-quantum wells of III-nitrides

III-Nitrides have attracted much attention due to their versatile and wide range of applications, such as blue/UV light emitting diodes. Strained layer super lattices offer extra degree of freedom to alter the band gap of lattice-mismatched heterostructures. Swift heavy ion irradiation is a post-growth technique to alter the band gap of semiconductors, spatially. In the present study, strained AlGaN/GaN multi-quantum wells (MQWs) were grown on sapphire with insertion of AlN and GaN as buffer layers between substrate and epilayers. Such grown AlGaN/GaN MQWs, AlGaN/GaN heterostructures and GaN layers were irradiated with 200 MeV Au and 150 MeV Ag ions at a fluence of 5 × 10¹¹ ions/cm² and 5 × 10¹² ions/cm² respectively. As-grown and irradiated samples have been characterized by high resolution XRD, photoluminescence and RBS/channelling. Measured strain values show that strain increases upon irradiation and the luminescence properties are enhanced. RBS/channelling confirms the increase in strain values upon irradiation. In this paper we describe the effects of swift heavy ion irradiation on structural and optical properties.     

Fabrication and performance of GaN electronic devices

GaN and related materials (especially AlGaN) have recently attracted a lot of interest for applications in high power electronics capable of operation at elevated temperatures. Although the growth and processing technology for SiC, the other viable wide bandgap semiconductor material, is more mature, the AlGaInN system offers numerous advantages. These include wider bandgaps, good transport properties, the availability of heterostructures (particularly AlGaN/GaN), the experience base gained by the commercialization of GaN-based laser and light-emitting diodes and the existence of a high growth rate epitaxial method (hydride vapor phase epitaxy) for producing very thick layers or even quasi-substrates. These attributes have led to rapid progress in the realization of a broad range of GaN electronic devices, including heterostructure field effect transistors (HFETs), Schottky and p–i–n rectifiers, heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs), bipolar junction transistors (BJTs) and metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs). This review focuses on the development of fabrication processes for these devices and the current state-of-the-art in device performance, for all of these structures. We also detail areas where more work is needed, such as reducing defect densities and purity of epitaxial layers, the need for substrates and improved oxides and insulators, improved p-type doping and contacts and an understanding of the basic growth mechanisms.     

Optical properties of nanocrystalline gallium nitride films

Nanocrystalline GaN films with different crystallite sizes were deposited onto quartz and NaCl substrates by magnetron sputtering of a GaN target in argon plasma. All the films showed predominant hexagonal phase. The band gap values were always found to be higher than that of the bulk. This blue shift in band gap could be attributed to the quantum confinement effect. The optical absorption in these films could be explained by the combined effects of phonon and inhomogeneity broadening along with optical loss due to light scattering at the nanocrystallites. Band edge luminescence is absent in these GaN nanocrystalline films. The line shapes of the photoluminescence (PL) spectra are asymmetric and broad. The film deposited at lower substrate temperature showed broader PL peak. It may be observed that no significant energy shift in the peak positions was observed with reduction in crystallite size but the intensity of the peak decreased for films with the reduction in crystallite size. Below band gap emission observed in this study may also originate due to the presence of polarization-induced electric field present in wurtzite GaN deposited here.