Minority carrier diffusion length in undoped p-type epitaxially grown CdxHg1-xTe

High minority carrier lifetimes in diffusion limited p-n photodiodes result in low dark currents and a high R₀A figure of merit. Minority carrier diffusion length should be an important indicator of device performance through its link with the minority carrier lifetime. The diffusion length can be measured directly on a p-n junction device using electron beam induced current (EBIC) measurements. This paper compares diffusion lengths in epitaxially grown Cd_xHg_1-xTe measured directly using EBIC, with those predicted from both transient and steady state lifetime measurements using Einstein's relation. In all cases, as-grown layers are vacancy-doped p-type.     

MOCVD growth of GaN layer on InN interlayer and relaxation of residual strain

100 nm InN layer was grown on sapphire c-plane using a metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) system. Low temperature (LT) GaN layer was grown on InN layer to protect InN layer from direct exposure to hydrogen flow during high temperature (HT) GaN growth and/or abrupt decomposition. Subsequently, thick HT GaN layer (2.5 μm thick) was grown at 1000 °C on LT GaN/InN/sapphire template. Microstructure of epilayer-substrate interface was investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). From the high angle annular dark field TEM image, the growth of columnar structured LT GaN and HT GaN with good crystallinity was observed. Though thickness of InN interlayer is assumed to be about 100 nm based on growth rate, it was not clearly shown in TEM image due to the InN decomposition. The lattice parameters of GaN layers were measured by XRD measurement, which shows that InN interlayer reduces the compressive strain in GaN layer. The relaxation of compressive strain in GaN layer was also confirmed by photoluminescence (PL) measurement. As shown in the PL spectra, red shift of GaN band edge peak was observed, which indicates the reduction of compressive strain in GaN epilayer.     

Optical and magneto-optical properties of erbium doped InGaN and GaN epilayers

Using combined excitation-emission spectroscopy we have studied the erbium incorporation into GaN and InGaN for in situ doped MOCVD-grown layers and compared them to samples grown by MBE. A smaller up-conversion efficiency for the main site is observed compared to minority sites in the same sample as well as versus all sites from MBE grown samples. Furthermore, we show that the 1.54 μm emission efficiency is reduced with increasing In-content both under excitation above the bandgap in the UV as well as under resonant excitation at around 980 nm. This indicates that non-radiative decay channels for the Er ion are the largest contributing factor for this behavior. Finally, the Zeeman splitting of the excitation and emission lines of Er:GaN under application of magnetic fields up to 6.6 T with B||c-axis is shown.     

Structural and photoluminescence study of thin GaN film grown on silicon substrate by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

GaN epitaxial layer was grown on Si(111) substrate by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). The structure consists of 50 nm thick high-temperature grown AlN buffer layer, 150 nm thick AlGaN layer, 30 nm low-temperature grown AlN layer, 300 nm GaN layer, 50 nm AlGaN superlattice layer, followed by 100 nm GaN epitaxial layer. The low-temperature AlN interlayer and AlGaN superlattice layer were inserted as the defect-blocking layers in the MOCVD grown sample to eliminate the dislocations and improve the structural and optical properties of the GaN layer. The dislocation density at the top surface was decreased to ∼ 2.8 × 10⁹/cm². The optical quality was considerably improved. The photoluminescence emission at 3.42-3.45 eV is attributed to the recombination of free hole-to-donor electron. The observed 3.30 eV emission peak is assigned to be donor-acceptor transition with two longitudinal optical phonon side bands. The relationship of the peak energy and the temperature is discussed.     

Deep level centers in InGaN/GaN heterostructure grown on sapphire and free-standing GaN

Deep level transient spectroscopy has been used to characterize the deep levels in InGaN/GaN grown on sapphire substrate as well as on free-standing GaN. The deep levels at E_c − E_t ∼ 0.17-0.23 eV and E_c − E_t ∼ 0.58-0.62 eV have been detected in our samples which are present in GaN samples reported by others. These two deep levels have been attributed by us to threading dislocations as they exhibit logarithmic capture kinetic behavior and are found to be substantially reduced in its trap concentration (∼ from 10¹⁴ to 10¹² cm^− 2) in GaN grown on free-standing GaN template. Other than the two deep levels, an additional level at E_c − E_t ∼ 0.40-0.42 eV has been identified in both samples, which is believed to be related to In segregation. AFM image shows region of pits formation in InGaN epilayer for sample grown on u-GaN using sapphire substrate while the latter gives a much smoother morphology. From the X-ray diffraction space mapping, the mosaicity of the sample structure for both samples were studied. Dislocations do not play a significant role in the structural properties of InGaN grown on free-standing GaN since the FWHM based on the Δ ω is relatively small (± 0.15°) in the case of InGaN/GaN on free-standing GaN substrate as compared to that on sapphire (± 0.35°). The wider spread in Δω-2θ value for InGaN layer on free-standing GaN also suggested the effect of compositional pulling with increasing InGaN layer thickness.     

Structural, optical and electrical study of undoped GaN layers obtained by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition on sapphire substrates

We investigate optical, structural and electrical properties of undoped GaN grown on sapphire. The layers were prepared in a horizontal reactor by low pressure metal organic chemical vapor deposition at temperatures of 900 °C and 950 °C on a low temperature grown (520 °C) GaN buffer layer on (0001) sapphire substrate. The growth pressure was kept at 10,132 Pa. The photoluminescence study of such layers revealed a band-to-band emission around 366 nm and a yellow band around 550 nm. The yellow band intensity decreases with increasing deposition temperature. X-ray diffraction, atomic force microscopy and scanning electron microscopy studies show the formation of hexagonal GaN layers with a thickness of around 1 μm. The electrical study was performed using temperature dependent Hall measurements between 35 and 373 K. Two activation energies are obtained from the temperature dependent conductivity, one smaller than 1 meV and the other one around 20 meV. For the samples grown at 900 °C the mobilities are constant around 10 and 20 cm² V⁻¹ s^− 1, while for the sample grown at 950 °C the mobility shows a thermally activated behavior with an activation energy of 2.15 meV.     

Nanostructured GaN on silicon fabricated by electrochemical and laser-induced etching

Nanostructured GaN layers have been fabricated by electrochemical and laser-induced etching (LIE) processes based on n-type GaN thin films grown on the Si (111) substrate with AlN buffer layers. The effect of varying current and laser power density on the morphology of the GaN layers is investigated. The etched samples exhibited a dramatic increase in photoluminescence intensity as compared to the as grown samples. The average diameter of the GaN crystallites was about 7-10 nm, as determined from the PL data The Raman spectra also displayed stronger intensity peaks, which were shifted and broadened as a function of etching parameters. A strong band at 522 cm^− 1 is from the Si (111) substrate, and a small band at 301 cm^− 1, due to the acoustic phonons of Si. Two Raman active optical phonons are assigned h-GaN at 139 cm^− 1 and 568 cm^− 1due to E2 (low) and E2 (high) respectively.     

The effect of substrate morphology on the diameter distribution of carbon nanotubes grown on silica and ceramic substrates

Large-scale well-aligned carbon nanotube film and carbon nanotube bundles have been fabricated on smooth silica and rough polycrystalline ceramic substrates by pyrolysis of ferrocene/melamine mixtures. The images of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscope (SEM) show that carbon nanotubes grown on the silica substrate have uniform outer diameters of about ∼ 25 nm and lengths of about 40 μm, while those on the ceramic substrate have outer diameters from 10 to 90 nm and lengths up to 100 μm. Electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS) spectra show that nanotubes grown on the two different substrates are pure carbon tubes. The effects of substrate micro-morphologies on the diameters of carbon nanotubes have been discussed.     

Improvement of GaN epilayer by gradient layer method with molecular-beam epitaxy

We demonstrated a molecular beam epitaxy method to resolve the dilemma between structural and morphological quality in growth of the GaN epilayer. A gradient buffer layer was grown in such a way that the N/Ga ratio was gradually changed from nitrogen-rich to gallium-rich. The GaN epitaxial layer was then grown on the gradient buffer layer. In the X-ray diffraction analysis of GaN(002) rocking curves, we found that the full width at half-maximum was improved from 531.69″ to 59.43″ for the sample with a gradient buffer layer as compared to a purely gallium-rich grown sample. Atomic force microscopy analysis showed that the root-mean-square roughness of the surface was improved from 18.28 nm to 1.62 nm over an area of 5 × 5 μm² with respect to a purely nitrogen-rich grown sample. Raman scattering showed the presence of a slightly tilted plane in the gradient layer. Furthermore we showed that the gradient layer can also slash the strain force caused by either Ga-rich GaN epitaxial layer or AlN buffer layer.     

Investigation of the interface properties of MOVPE grown AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) structures on sapphire

We have developed a virtual GaN substrate on sapphire based on a two-step growth method. By optimizing the growth scheme for the virtual substrate we have improved crystal quality and reduced interface roughness. Our Al_0.22Ga_0.78N/GaN HEMT structure grown on the optimized semi-insulating GaN virtual substrate, exhibits Hall mobilities as high as 1720 and 7350 cm²/Vs and sheet carrier concentrations of 8.4 × 1012 and 10.0 × 1012 cm^− 2 at 300 K and 20 K, respectively. The presence of good AlGaN/GaN interface quality and surface morphology is also substantiated by X-Ray reflectivity and Atomic Force Microscopy measurements. A simplified transport model is used to fit the experimental Hall mobility.     

The effect of growth temperature on the coaxial InxGa1 − xN/GaN nanowires grown by metalorganic chemical vapor deposition

We report on the growth of coaxial In_xGa_1 − xN/GaN nanowires (NWs) on Si(111) substrates by using pulsed flow metalorganic chemical vapor deposition. The coaxial In_xGa_1 − xN/GaN NWs were grown by a two step process in which the core (GaN) structure was grown at a higher temperature followed by the shell (In_xGa_1 − xN) structure at a lower temperature. Dense and well-oriented coaxial In_xGa_1 − xN/GaN NWs were grown with an average diameter and length of about 300 ± 50 nm and 1.5-2.0 μm, respectively. The coaxial In_xGa_1 − xN/GaN NW was confirmed by cathodoluminescence mapping and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. It is proposed that the critical dissociation of precursors at an elevated growth temperature can lead to a clear formation of an outer-shell in coaxial In_xGa_1 − xN/GaN NWs.     

Growth and characterization of LiNiVO4 thin film cathode by pulsed laser deposition

Crystallized LiNiVO₄ thin films have been prepared by pulsed laser deposition and their physical and electrochemical properties have been studied. With the increase of deposition temperatures and oxygen pressures, the crystallization became better, but accompanied with large sizes of grains. The initial discharge capacity of the film deposited at 873 K and 40 Pa of oxygen was just around 7.2 μA h/cm² μm when it was cycled between 3.0 and 4.8 V with a current density of 10 μA h/cm². Cyclic voltammetry at a sweep rate of 0.1 mV/s showed a main anodic peak at 4.20 V, a weak anodic peak at 4.59 V and a cathodic peak located at 3.73 V. Based on the linear relationship between the peak currents of cathodic peaks and the square roots of scan rates, the diffusion coefficient was estimated to be about 2.3 × 10^− 15 cm²/s. Electrochemical impedance spectra revealed high charge-transfer resistance of Li-ion, such as about 9000 Ω at 4.0 V. The extremely slow Li-ion diffusion and high charge-transfer resistance indicate that the electrochemical reaction in LiNiVO₄ thin films is sluggish.     

Reactively sputtered GaAsxN1−x thin films

Thin films of GaAs_xN_1−x alloys were deposited by reactive rf magnetron sputtering of GaAs target with a mixture of argon and nitrogen as the sputtering gas. Growth rate was found to decrease from ∼ 7 μm/h to ∼ 2 μm/h as the nitrogen content increased from 0% to 40%. XRD and TEM studies of the films reveal the presence of hexagonal GaN with a significant increase of the lattice parameters in a narrow range of composition of the sputtering gas (5-10% nitrogen), which is attributed to the incorporation of arsenic. The limited availability of nitrogen in the sputtering atmosphere is found to encourage the incorporation of arsenic in the alloy films. Optical absorption coefficient spectra of the films were obtained from reflection and transmission data. The effect of arsenic incorporation is seen in the optical absorption spectra of the films, which show a continuous shift of the absorption edge to lower energies with respect to that of gallium nitride.     

GaN epilayer on separately deposited buffer layer by hot wall epitaxy

High quality GaN epilayers were grown on a sapphire substrate using a hot wall epitaxy method. We have investigated the crystal, optical, and electrical properties of GaN epilayers grown as functions of the nitridation condition of the substrate and the growth condition of GaN buffer layer. In order to study an effective method to grow a buffer layer for the growth of high quality GaN epilayer, the buffer layers were formed on the nitridated substrate using two different methods. One is separately deposited buffer layer (SDBL), and the other is co-deposited buffer layer (CDBL). It was observed that the growth condition of the buffer layer had a strong influence on the crystal and optical properties of GaN epilayer. A strong band edge emission peak at 3.474 eV was observed from the photoluminescence spectrum measured at 5 K for GaN epilayer grown at the optimum condition of the buffer layer. The carrier concentration and mobility of undoped GaN epilayer grown with a growth rate of 0.5 μm h⁻¹ were 2 × 10¹⁸ cm⁻³ and >50 cm³ V⁻¹ s⁻¹ at room temperature, respectively.     

Initial growth behaviors of GaN layers overgrown by HVPE on one-dimensional nanostructures

We developed a novel technique for obtaining a residual-strain-free GaN layer by the hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE) method using one-dimensional nanostructures. The GaN layer was grown on a Si(1 1 1) substrate with a conventional AlN film and one-dimensional GaN nanostructures. The nanostructures were grown for 2 h with a HCl:NH₃ gas flow ratio of 1:50. The growth rate of nanoneedles at 600 °C and nanorods at 650 °C were 2.553 and 2.193 μm/h, respectively. The overgrown GaN layer was grown at 1050 °C for 5 and 10 min. We obtained a GaN layer of 1.833 μm thickness and c = 5.1849 Å. The morphology, crystalline structure, and optical characteristics of the GaN layer were examined by field emission scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and photoluminescence.     

Room-temperature red emission from light-emitting diodes with Eu-doped GaN grown by organometallic vapor phase epitaxy

We obtained room-temperature red emission from GaN-based light-emitting diodes (LEDs) using a Eu-doped GaN (GaN:Eu) as an active layer. The bright emission was observed under normal lighting condition, which is associated with the intra-4f shell transition of Eu³⁺ ions. The LED properties depends on the growth condition of GaN:Eu layer. Since the high-quality GaN can be grown at higher growth pressure, the intense electroluminescence (EL) was observed in the LED with a GaN:Eu active layer grown at atmospheric pressure, which is due to the enhancement of the energy transfer efficiency from the GaN host material to the Eu ions. At a d.c. current of 20 mA, the light output power and external quantum efficiency were 17 μW and 0.04%, respectively. These results indicate the feasibility of GaN:Eu to realize a GaN-based red emitter for fabrication of nitride-based monolithic optical devices.     

Fabrication of the selective-growth ZnO nanorods with a hole-array pattern on a p-type GaN:Mg layer through a chemical bath deposition process

ZnO nanorod arrays were effectively selective-grown on a p-type GaN:Mg layer through chemical bath deposition (CBD) at a low temperature hydrothermal synthesis (85 °C) with a ZnO seed layer. The 5 μm-diameter hole-array patterns of the ZnO seed layer were grown on a p-type GaN:Mg layer in aqueous solution with a mercury lamp illumination. The diameter and the height of ZnO nanorods were measured as the values of 500 nm and 3 μm, respectively. The growth orientation, surface morphology, and aspect ratio of the ZnO nanorods can be controlled and formed on the hole-array patterned ZnO seed layer. The peak wavelength of the photoluminescence spectrum was measured at 384 nm.     

Effect of thin intermediate-layer of InAs quantum dots on the physical properties of InSb films grown on (001) GaAs

In this study the formation of a semiconducting InSb layer, preceded by the growth of an intermediate layer of InAs quantum dots, is attempted on (001) GaAs substrate. From the analysis of atomic-force-microscopy and transmission-electron-microscopy images together with Raman spectra of the InSb films, it is found that there exists a particular layer-thickness of ~ 0.5 μm above which the structural and transport qualities of the film are considerably enhanced. The resultant 2.60-μm-thick InSb layer, grown at the substrate temperature of 400 °C and under the Sb flux of 1.5 × 10^− 6 Torr, shows the electron mobility as high as 67,890 cm²/Vs.     

High quality a-plane GaN films grown on cone-shaped patterned r-plane sapphire substrates

Planar nonpolar (112?0) a-plane GaN films have been grown by metalorganic chemical-vapor deposition directly on cone-shaped patterned r-plane sapphire substrates (PRSS) fabricated by dry etching. High-resolution X-ray diffractometers 2θ-ω scan confirmed that the films grown on PRSS are solely a-plane oriented, and the full width at half maximum values (FWHM) of the X-ray rocking curves for (112?0) GaN along [0001]_GaN and [11?00]_GaN were found to be 684 and 828″, respectively. As compared to the film grown on conventional r-plane sapphire substrate which typically has (112?0) omega FWHM values of 900 and 2124″ along [0001]_GaN and [11?00]_GaN respectively, the film grown on PRSS exhibits overall reduced omega FWHM values, and much smaller anisotropy behavior of crystallinity with respect to the in-plane orientation. The surface morphology is also improved by utilizing the PRSS technique. Cross-sectional transmission electron microscopy analysis shows that the density of threading dislocations has been greatly reduced from ~ 1.0 × 10¹⁰ cm^− 2 above the flat sapphire regions to ~ 1.0 × 10⁷ cm^− 2 above the protruding cone patterns. The improvement of crystal quality and the increase of light extraction efficiency by using cone-shaped PRSS technique lead to a strong enhancement in the light emission of a-plane GaN films. These results indicate that growth of a-plane GaN films on cone-shaped PRSS shows promise for use in high-quality and high-cost-performance nonpolar GaN based devices.     

Stress reduction in GaN films on (111) silicon-on-insulator substrate grown by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition

The GaN film was grown on the (111) silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrate by metal-organic chemical vapor deposition and then annealed in the deposition chamber. A multiple beam optical stress sensor was used for the in-situ stress measurement, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Raman spectroscopy were used for the characterization of GaN film. Comparing the characterization results of the GaN films on the bulk silicon and SOI substrates, we can see that the Raman spectra show the 3.0 cm^− 1 frequency shift of E₂(TO), and the full width at half maximum of XRD rocking curves for GaN (0002) decrease from 954 arc sec to 472 arc sec. The results show that the SOI substrates can reduce the tensile stress in the GaN film and improve the crystalline quality. The annealing process is helpful for the stress reduction of the GaN film. The SOI substrate with the thin top silicon film is more effective than the thick top silicon film SOI substrate for the stress reduction.