Photoluminescence characteristics of GaN/lnGaN/GaN quantum wells

Photoluminescence (PL) characteristics of GaN/lnGaN/GaN single quantum wells (QWs) and an InGaN/GaN single heterojunction were studied using continuous wave (CW) and pulsed photoluminescence in both edge and surface emitting configurations. Samples were grown on c-plane sapphire substrates by atmospheric pressure metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). Room temperature and 77K PL measurements were performed using a CW Ar-ion laser (305 nm) and a frequency tripled (280 nm), pulsed, mode-locked Ti: sapphire laser. CW PL emission spectra from the quantum wells (24, 30, 80Å) were all blue shifted with respect to the reference sample. The difference (i. e., the blue shift) between the measured value of peak emission energy from the QW and the band-edge emission from the reference sample was attributed to quantum size effects, and to strain arising due to a significant lattice mismatch between InGaN and GaN. In addition, stimulated emission was observed from an InGaN/GaN single heterojunction in the edge and surface emitting configu-ration at 77K. The narrowing of emission spectra, the nonlinear dependence of output emission intensity on input power density, and the observation of a strongly polarized output are presented.     

Effect of shroud flow on high quality InxGa1−xN deposition in a production scale multi-wafer-rotating-disc reactor

High quality InGaN thin films and InGaN/GaN double heterojunction (DH) structures have been epitaxially grown on c-sapphire substrates by MOCVD in a production scale multi-wafer-rotating-disc reactor between 770 to 840°C. We observed that shroud flow (majority carrier gas in the reaction chamber) is the key to obtaining high quality InGaN thin films. High purity H₂ as the shroud flow results in poor crystal quality and surface morphology but strong photolumines-cence (PL) at room temperature. However, pure N₂ as the shroud flow results in high crystal quality InGaN with an x-ray full width at half maximum (FWHM)_InGaN(0002) of 7.5 min and a strong room temperature PL peaking at 400 nm. In addition, InGaN/GaN single heterojunction (SH) and DH structures both have excellent surface morphology and sharp interfaces. The full width at half maximum of PL at 300K from an InGaN/GaN DH structure is about 100 meV which is the best reported to date. A high indium mole fraction in InGaN of 60% and high quality zinc doped InGaN depositions were also achieved.     

Characteristics of Green Light-Emitting Diodes Using an InGaN:Mg/GaN:Mg Superlattice as p-Type Hole Injection and Contact Layers

Mg-doped InGaN/GaN p-type short-period superlattices (SPSLs) are developed for hole injection and contact layers of green light-emitting diodes (LEDs). V-defect-related pits, which are commonly found in an InGaN bulk layer, can be eliminated in an InGaN/GaN superlattice with thickness and average composition comparable to those of the bulk InGaN layer. Mg-doped InGaN/GaN SPSLs show significantly improved electrical properties with resistivity as low as ∼0.35 ohm-cm, which is lower than that of GaN:Mg and InGaN:Mg bulk layers grown under optimized growth conditions. Green LEDs employing Mg-doped InGaN/GaN SPSLs for hole injection and contact layers have significantly lower reverse leakage current, which is considered to be attributed to improved surface morphology. The peak electroluminescence intensity of LEDs with a SPSL is compared to that with InGaN:Mg bulk hole injection and contact layers.     

Growth of InGaN and double heterojunction structure with InGaN back barrier

We study the growth of an InGaN and AIGaN/GaN/InGaN/GaN double heterojunction structure by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD).It is found that the crystal quality of the InGaN back barrier layer significantly affects the electronic property of the AIGaN/GaN/InGaN/GaN double heterojunction.A high crystal quality InGaN layer is obtained by optimizing the growth pressure and temperature.Due to the InGaN layer polarization field opposite to that in the AIGaN layer,an additional potential barrier is formed between the GaN and the InGaN layer,which enhances carrier confinement of the 2DEG and reduces the buffer leakage current of devices.The double heterojunction high-electron-mobility transistors with an InGaN back barrier yield a drain induced barrier lowering of 1.5 mⅤ/Ⅴ and the off-sate source-drain leakage current is as low as 2.6μA/mm at VDs = 10 Ⅴ.     

Influence of Mg Doping on the Morphological, Optical, and Structural Properties of InGaN/GaN Multiple Quantum Wells

In this report, the influence of magnesium doping on the characteristics of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs) was investigated by means of atomic force microscopy (AFM), photoluminescence (PL), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Five-period InGaN/GaN MQWs with different magnesium doping levels were grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. The AFM measurements indicated that magnesium doping led to a smoother surface morphology. The V-defect density was observed to decrease with increasing magnesium doping concentration from ∼10⁹ cm⁻² (no doping) to ∼10⁶ cm⁻² (Cp₂Mg: 0.04 sccm) and further to 0 (Cp₂ Mg: 0.2 sccm). The PL measurements showed that magnesium doping resulted in stronger emission, which can be attributed to the screening of the polarization-induced band bending. XRD revealed that magnesium doping had no measurable effect on the indium composition and growth rate of the MQWs. These results suggest that magnesium doping in MQWs might improve the optical properties of GaN photonic devices.     

生长停顿改善MOCVD生长InGaN/GaN多量子阱的特性

利用金属有机物化学气相淀积(MOCVD)生长了InGaN/GaN多量子阱(MQWs)结构,研究了生长停顿对InGaN/GaN MQWs特性的影响.结果表明,采用生长停顿,可以改善MQWs界面质量,提高MQWs的光致发光(PL)与电致发光(EL)强度;但生长停顿的时间过长,阱的厚度会变薄,界面质量变差,不仅In组分变低,富In的发光中心减少,而且会引入杂质,致使EL强度下降.     

Flow modulation epitaxy of indium gallium nitride

InGaN layers were grown on GaN films by flow modulation epitaxy (FME) using the precursors trimethylgallium, trimethylindium, and ammonia. The indium composition of the FME grown layers was generally lower than of films grown under the same conditions in the continuous growth mode, but which had been of poor optical quality. The indium incorporation efficiency increased with decreasing ammonia flush time, increasing ammonia flow during group-III injection, and increasing group-III precursor injection time. Films grown under optimized conditions showed intense band edge related luminescence at room temperature up to a wavelength of 465 nm. Atomic force microscopy investigations revealed a strong dependence of the surface morphology of the InGaN films on the growth mode.     

Determination of the direction of piezoelectric field in InGaN/GaN multiple quantum-well structures grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition

The direction of the piezoelectric field in InGaN/GaN multiple quantum-well (MQW) structures grown by metal-organic vapor deposition (MOCVD) was determined using excitation-power-density variable photoluminescence (PL). By comparing the excitation-power-density dependence of the shift of the PL peak and the change of the full-width at half-maximum (FWHM) of the peak from an InGaN/GaN MQW structure and an InGaN MQW-based light-emitting diode (LED), the piezoelectric field in the InGaN/GaN MQW structures was unambiguously determined to be pointing toward the substrate. This result helps to identify the surface polarity of the LED wafer as Ga-faced.     

Surface morphology and composition studies in InGaN/GaN film grown by MOCVD

InGaN films were deposited on(0001) sapphire substrates with GaN buffer layers under different growth temperatures by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition.The In-composition of InGaN film was approximately controlled by changing the growth temperature.The connection between the growth temperature,In content,surface morphology and defect formation was obtained by X-ray diffraction,scanning electron microscopy(SEM) and atomic force microscopy(AFM).Meanwhile,by comparing the SEM and AFM surface morphology images,we proposed several models of three different defects and discussed the mechanism of formation.The prominent effect of higher growth temperature on the quality of the InGaN films and defect control were found by studying InGaN films at various growth temperatures.     

AlGaN/GaN基HBTs的高频特性模拟

对n-p-n型AlGaN/GaN基HBTs的高频特性进行了模拟计算，分析了发射区、基区、集电区的一些材料参数对n-p-n型AlGaN/GaN基HBTs的高频特性的影响. 发现基区的设计对频率性能影响很大，减小基区厚度、增大空穴浓度和迁移率将有效提高HBTs的频率性能.     

MOCVD生长的InGaN/GaN薄膜组分和表面形貌研究（参加广西南宁固体薄膜会议论文）

摘要：本文利用MOCVD方法在（0001）取向的蓝宝石衬底上实现了不同生长温度条件下的InGaN薄膜的制备。通过改变生长温度实现了InGaN薄膜中In组分可控。通过XRD、SEM、AFM等测量手段研究了生长温度和组分、形貌、缺陷等性质的关系。对比SEM和AFM形貌图像提出并探讨了3种缺陷坑（大V型坑,In-rich坑和热腐蚀坑）模型以及形成机制。通过研究不同生长温度的InGaN薄膜样品,发现较高生长温度对InGaN薄膜形貌质量和缺陷控制有至关重要的作用。     

InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well green light-emitting diodes prepared by temperature ramping

High-quality InGaN/GaN multiple-quantum well (MQW) light-emitting diode (LED) structures were prepared by a temperature-ramping method during metal-organic chemical-vapor deposition (MOCVD) growth. Two photoluminescence (PL) peaks, one originating from well-sensitive emission and one originating from an InGaN quasi-wetting layer on the GaN-barrier surface, were observed at room temperature (RT). The observation of high-order double-crystal x-ray diffraction (DCXRD) satellite peaks indicates that the interfaces between InGaN-well layers and GaN-barrier layers were not degraded as we increased the growth temperature of the GaN-barrier layers. With a 20-mA and 160-mA current injection, it was found that the output power could reach 2.2 mW and 8.9 mW, respectively. Furthermore, it was found that the reliability of the fabricated green LEDs prepared by temperature ramping was also reasonably good.     

Structural and optical investigation of InGaN/GaN multiple quantum well structures with various indium compositions

We have studied the influence of indium (In) composition on the structural and optical properties of In_x Ga_1−xN/GaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs) with In compositions of more than 25% by means of high-resolution x-ray diffraction (HRXRD), photoluminescence (PL), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). With increasing the In composition, structural quality deterioration is observed from the broadening of the full width athalf maximum of the HRXRD superlattice peak, the broad multiple emission peaks oflow temperature PL, and the increase of defect density in GaN capping layers and InGaN/GaN MQWs. V-defects, dislocations, and two types of tetragonal shape defects are observed within the MQW with 33% In composition by high resolution TEM. In addition, we found that V-defects result in different growth rates of the GaN barriers according to the degree of the bending of InGaN well layers, which changes the period thickness of the superlattice and might be the source of the multiple emission peaks observed in the In_xGa_1−xN/GaN MQWs with high in compositions.     

Emitter size effect on current gain in fully self-alignedAlGaAs/GaAs HBT's with AlGaAs surface passivation layer

The emitter size effect for fully self-aligned AlGaAs-GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs) with depleted AlGaAs passivation layers, in which the partially thinned AlGaAs emitter is self-aligned by using the dual sidewall process, is investigated. It is demonstrated that drastic improvement in the emitter size effect can be achieved with an AlGaAs passivation layer as small as 0.2 μm in width, due to the surface recombination current reduction by a factor of 1/40 in the extrinsic base region. It has also been found that the base current is dominated by excess leakage current in the proton-implanted isolation region     

Simulation of npn and pnp AlGaN/GaN heterojunction bipolartransistors performances: limiting factors and optimum design

The performance capabilities of npn and pnp AlGaN/GaN heterojunction bipolar transistors have been investigated by using a drift-diffusion transport model. Numerical results have been employed to study the effect of the p-type Mg doping and its incomplete ionization on device performance. The high base resistance induced by the deep acceptor level is found to be one of the causes of limited current gain values for npn devices. Reasonable improvements of the dc current gain β are observed by realistically reducing the base thickness and consequently the transit time, in accordance with processing limitations. Base transport enhancement is predicted by the introduction of a quasi-electric field in the base. The impact of the base resistivity on high-frequency characteristics is investigated for npn AlGaN/GaN devices. Simulation results reveal the difficulty to achieve decent current gain values at high current density for pnp HBTs in common emitter configuration. Despite the high electron mobility in the n-type base that aids in reducing the base resistance, a preliminary analysis for pnp devices indicates limited rf performances caused by the reduced minority hole transport across the base     

Multi-emitter Si/GexSi1-x heterojunctionbipolar transistor with no base contact and enhanced logic functionality

We demonstrate multi-emitter Si/Ge_xSi_1-x n-p-n heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBT's) which require no base contact for transistor operation. The base current is supplied by the additional emitter contact under reverse bias due to the heavy doping of the emitter-base junction. Large-area HBT test structures exhibit good transistor characteristics, with current gain β≈400 regardless of whether the base current is supplied by a test base electrode or one of the emitter contacts. These devices have enhanced logic functionality because of emitter contact symmetry. Since device fabrication does not require base electrode formation, the number of processing steps can be reduced without significant penalty to HBT performance     

Luminescence properties of blue and green dual wavelength InGaN/GaN multi-quantum well light-emitting diode

Blue and green dual wavelength InGaN/GaN multi-quantum well (MQW) light-emitting diode (LED) has wide applications in full color display, monolithic white LED and solid state lighting, etc. Blue and green dual wavelength LEDs, which consist of InGaN strain-reduction layer, green InGaN/GaN MQW and blue InGaN/ GaN MQW, were grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD), and the luminescence properties of dual wavelength LEDs with different well arrangements were studied by photoluminescence and electrolumines-cence. The experimental results indicated that well position played an important role on the luminescence evolvement from photoluminescence to electroluminescence.     

Characterisation of emitter/base leakage currents in SiGe HBTs produced using selective epitaxy

SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistors have been fabricated using selective epitaxy for the Si collector, followed in the same growth step by non-selective epitaxy for the SiGe base and Si emitter cap. E/B leakage currents are compared with cross-section TEM images to identify sources of leakage currents associated with the epitaxy. In addition, the influence of the position of the extrinsic base implant with respect to the polysilicon emitter on the leakage currents is studied. The emitter/base leakage currents are modelled using Shockley–Read–Hall recombination, trap-assisted tunnelling and Poole–Frenkel (PF) generation. The position of the extrinsic base implant is shown to have a strong influence on the leakage currents. The PF effect dominates the emitter/base leakage current in transistors in which the collector area is smaller than the polysilicon emitter. This result is explained by penetration of the emitter/base depletion region into the p⁺ polysilicon extrinsic base at the perimeter of the emitter. These leakage currents are eliminated when the collector area is increased so that the extrinsic base implant penetrates into the single-crystal silicon at the perimeter of the emitter.     

MOCVD生长的InGaN薄膜的离子束背散射沟道及其光致发光

采用MOCVD技术以Al2O3为衬底在GaN膜上生长了InGaN薄膜.以卢瑟福背散射/沟道（RBS/Channeling）技术和光致发光（PL）技术对InxGa1-xN/GaN/Al2O3样品进行了测试,获得了合金层的组分、厚度、元素随深度分布、结晶品质及发光性能等信息.研究表明生长温度和TMIn/TEGa比对InGaN薄膜的In组分和生长速率影响很大.在一定范围内,降低TMIn/TEGa比,InGaN膜的生长速率增大,合金的In组分反而提高.降低生长温度,InGaN膜的In组分提高,但生长速率基本不变.InGaN薄膜的结晶品质随In组分的增大而显著下降,InGaN薄膜的In组分由0.04增大到0.26,其最低沟道产额比由4.1%增至51.2%.InGaN薄膜中In原子易处于替位位置,在所测试的In组分范围,In原子的替位率均在98%以上.得到的质量良好的In0.04Ga0.96N薄膜的最低产额为4.1%.研究结果还表明用RBS技术和光致发光技术测定InGaN中In组分的结果相差很大,InGaN的PL谱要受较多因素影响,很难准确测定In组分,而以RBS技术得到的结果是可靠的.     

红橙光InGaN/GaN量子阱的结构与光学性质研究

采用金属有机物化学气相沉积(MOCVD)技术生长了具有高In组分InGaN阱层的InGaN/GaN多量子阱(MQW)结构,高分辨X射线衍射(HRXRD)ω-2θ扫描拟合得到阱层In含量28%。比较大的表面粗糙度表明有很大的位错密度。室温下光致荧光(PL)研究发现该量子阱发射可见的红橙光,峰位波长在610 nm附近。变温PL(15～300 K)进一步揭示量子阱在低温下有两个发光机制,对应的发射峰波长分别为538 nm和610 nm。由于In分凝和载流子的局域化导致的载流子动力改变,使得量子阱PL发光峰值随温度增加呈明显的"S"变化趋势。